


Walking in Darkness

by oliviacat3



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:28:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oliviacat3/pseuds/oliviacat3
Summary: OUAT fanficThis picks up after the end of Season 4 and is basically my version of the first half of season 5.All rights go to ABC and Once Upon A Time. Only parts of the storyline are mine*************************************************Emma has sacrificed herself and become the Dark One so that Regina can have her happy ending, but now she and her family have to deal with the rules and consequences of that.*************************************************Disclaimer: I have included Pocahontas in this as my version and have tried to keep it historically accurate. If anyone notices a mistake, I would be really grateful if you could let me know.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

Emma

I watch, frozen as the darkness attacks Regina, feeding on the light in her heart. I can't let her happiness be destroyed. Robin runs up and tries to attack it, but it throws him back and he lands in the street.

"That's not going to work on this thing." I yell, trying to get everyone's attention over the stress of the situation. "The Apprentice told me we have to do what the sorcerer did! We have to tether it to a person to contain it." I hold the dagger in my hand and walk forward, my mind made up, ignoring the cries from my friends and family.

"Emma!" Mum cries.

"No! There has to be another way," Regina adds, her voice breaking.

"There isn't. You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed." I continue forwards towards Regina and the darkness, turning when Dad cries out.

"No!" I look at him and Mum, tears welling in my eyes.

"You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once. You need to do it again..." My voice breaks. "as heroes."

"Emma! Emma, please, no! Don't do this," My boyfriend yells, running up to me and turning me around.

"I love you." I say, knowing that I will back down if I take any longer. I shove the dagger into the darkness, hearing Hook yell "No!" but I can't focus on anything except the darkness flowing down my arm from the dagger. It surrounds me, demanding all of my attention, but becomes too much. Just as it starts to dissipate, my vision goes black.

Regina

I reach out towards Emma's limp body as the paramedics lift her onto the gurney and wheel it into the ambulance. I can't believe she sacrificed herself for me. I turn to Robin, holding him close, not caring about the tears that are pouring down my face. Tonight, I am not frigid Mayor Mills; I am Regina, whose best friend has just become the Dark One.

"What happens now?" I ask, turning to Snow and Charming for answers. They shake their heads and shrug.

"I don't know," Snow replies, her hair sticking to the tears that are slowly drying on her face. "With Gold, he became scaly and imp-like, but I don't see how that will work with Emma."

"Well, let's find out. I'll meet you at the hospital." I grab Robin and we run to my car. I notice the dagger on the road, and pick it up, noting how the name now reads Emma Swan in the beautiful script. I hear the ambulance drive off behind me, hoping Snow and Charming managed to get in. I flop into the passenger seat, and allow myself a moment with my head on the wheel before speeding to the hospital behind them.

At the hospital, Emma is wheeled into a suite off of the main ward, as we explained the situation to the staff. Her parents asked me to sit with her, not knowing what state she'll be in when she wakes.

"Regina..." I hear her say weakly. I turn at the sound of her voice, in time to see her eyes flutter open. She looks exhausted. Her hair sits limply on the pillow around her and seems to have lost some of its colour. Her eyes have faded from their vivid green to a duller tone.

"Emma. Are you okay?" She tries to sit up, her trembling hands grabbing the bed rail to support her.

"I'm fine. I just feel tired. What about you?" Of course she's more worried about other people.

"I'm fine. You saved me." She chuckles.

"Well, I am the saviour. That's my job."

Emma

A strange sensation hits me as Regina goes to leave, so I call her back.

"Regina, something's happening." She hurries back over to me and grabs my hand, hitting the emergency button to send for a doctor at the same time.

A nurse comes running through the door, but I don't really notice, as my heart starts aching, feeling like it is being squeezed.

"What's going on?" I ask, straining and gasping from the pain. The nurse starts hooking me up to more machines on either side of the bed and doesn't reply, too engrossed in her job.

"I don't know," Regina replies, shrugging. She grips my hand tighter and I smile a thankful smile at her, glad for the reassurance.

As the nurse attaches what seems to be the last tube to my arm, stars appear in my eyes, before I black out.

When I awaken, I am met with the wide-eyed stares of Regina and the nurse, and I smirk. I notice that my clothes have changed and sigh with relief. The black leather that I'm now wearing is so much more befitting of a Dark One than the jeans my counterpart likes so much. I wave my arm, vanishing myself and Regina in a cloud of magic.

Regina

I vanish in a cloud of gold smoke, appearing beside her in the Storybrooke cannery. I flinch as the memories of Greg and Tamara come rushing back with the smell, and turn to Emma. She knows what they did, and the effect it had on me. Why did she bring me here?

Turning to face her, I notice that she has changed. Her once golden hair is now platinum blonde and pulled back in a low bun, intricately designed with a plait curling around it. She wears tight black leather, accentuating her figure, and golden magic sparks at her fingertips. Her irises have become black as night. I reach worriedly for the dagger, and groan when I realise she must have taken it off me. Just to confirm my suspicions, she holds it up.

"Why did you bring me here?" She laughs, smiling without reaching her eyes.

"To punish you for all the pain you've caused me and my family." She waves her hand, and suddenly I am strapped on a gurney, a whirring noise filling the room. My eyes widen as I realise what she's about to do.

"Emma..." I try and plead, but she slams her hand onto the button and I scream as an electric current passes through me, making my hair stand on end and every cell in my body protest.

"No. You don't get to plead with me. You don't get that privilege." She slams the button once more, and I hear screams of agony fill the room. It takes me a moment to realise they belong to me. She pauses once more to increase the voltage, before holding it down as she watches me convulse in pain, laughing. The last thing I notice before I black out completely is the darkness leaving her eyes, and her staring at me in horror.

Emma

I look in horror at Regina's limp body strapped tightly to the gurney in front of me. What have I done? Reaching up to my head, I notice my hair is now back down around my shoulders, and my black leather ensemble has reverted back to my jeans and jumper.

I unstrap Regina and remove any trace of the machine, but I can't believe I let the darkness in me do that. Just as I unplug the last machine, Mum, Dad and Hook run through the door, staring in utter confusion at the scene in front of them.

"What the bloody hell happened, Swan?" Hook asks, clearly concerned as to what part I played in this. I look down at my hands on fear, feeling the same thing I did when Ingrid baited me into destroying the Sheriff's station.

"The darkness took hold of me and I did this. It's not safe for you to be around me." I go to run, but Mum grabs me as I run past her.

"No. Emma, this is not your fault. You took the darkness so that Regina could have her happy ending. We will figure this out. Maybe she remembers something that can help us work out how you being the Dark One is going to work." I stop struggling and lean into her, tears threatening to show themselves.

"Will she be okay?" Mum and Dad smile sadly.

"Last time, Greg and Tamara put a cuff on Regina that blocked her magic, so she couldn't heal as quickly until Mother Superior took it off. She shouldn't be as bad because you didn't do that." I flinch when she mentions me again.

"Could we name the Dark Side of me something else so that you don't remind me every time? You know, like Regina talks about what The Evil Queen did as if she's a different person." Mum and Dad exchange a glance, and I use the chance to hug Hook.

"What about the Dark Swan?" He suggests, looking at me with his signature smirk. I nod slightly, still embarrassed at how easily I gave into the darkness the first time.

"That sounds good."

Regina

I wake in the Charmings' loft, a feeling of déjà vu hitting me. This time, however, it's Robin, not Snow, who holds a flannel against my sweaty forehead. Slowly, the events of the previous night come back to me, and I sit up violently as I notice Emma watching me from the end of the bed.

"What is she doing here? She did this to me!" She flinches, her eyes welling up as she notices me wince in pain. Snow gives her a look, and she leaves to let her mother give me an explanation. Robin steps back to give us some room and I stare pointedly at Snow until she starts.

"When we got to the docks, she was looking in horror at your unconscious body. She told us that the darkness took hold of her and tried to run away? Remember with Ingrid, when she destroyed the Sheriff's station and ran away for nearly a week?" She asks, looking at me for a slight confirmation, continuing when she gets it. "It reminded me of that. We've named the dark side of her the Dark Swan, like you have the Evil Queen. We were wondering if you could remember anything that would help us distinguish the two?" I nod my head, then wince, the pain from last night still haunting me in the form of aches and pains.

"She looked nothing like she did a minute ago. Her hair was platinum blonde and in a low bun, and she wore tight black leather. Her skin was paler and looked like porcelain. And her eyes, "I say, shuddering as I remember. "They were pure black, with no distinction between the iris and the pupil." Snow sighs, but suddenly Emma calls from the other room.

"Mum!"


	2. Chapter 2

Emma

"Mum!" I yell, feeling the darkness take its grip on my heart once more. I have a revelation, and realise that I will be fine until it completely takes hold of my heart. At that point, my eyes will turn black and I will become a danger to everyone around me. A slamming door brings me out of my thoughts, and I explain to Mum quickly, not knowing how long I have.

When I finish, she just nods, and pulls something out of her pocket. She gives it to me, and I touch the dark leather, knowing exactly what it does. I fasten the cuff around my wrist and smile as I feel my magic respond to the block.

"Thanks, Mum," I say. As long as I can't get to anything harmful, I will not be able to use my magic on anyone, or for teleporting or conjuring. All of a sudden, my vision goes black.

A moment later, I open my eyes, and wave my hand, ready to hurt Regina even more. When nothing happens, I look down at my wrist and growl in frustration, which only grows when I notice Snow White sitting across from me.

"You did this?" I growl, standing up and advancing on her. Her eyes widen as I advance on her, but I grab her by the arm, not giving her a chance to escape. "You took my magic away, and now you're focussing on poor little Regina instead of your promise to me to help me get rid of the darkness. Well, guess what? I like the darkness. So I don't need you or your precious Charming to save me; I've saved myself." I fling her aside and stride out the room and up to Regina, led in my parents' bed. She recoils as she sees me approach.

"Emma..." She begs, her voice still weak from our adventure last night. It annoys me, how she's acting like a mouse around me, thinking that's what I need. As I go to hurt her, feeling an intense need to punish her for her actions, spots appear in my vision, and my legs give way beneath me.

Regina

I yell for Snow as dark Emma collapses at the foot of my bed and her outfit and hairstyle change back. Her eyes are the last thing to revert, staying black until everything else is back to normal.

Snow runs out of the room and whimpers when she sees her daughter. She lies her down on the sofa, but then David and Henry walk through the door, closely followed by Robin. He left to find them when Snow explained everything to me. David seems to have caught Henry up, as he doesn't question my presence in my stepdaughter's bed.

"Is she OK?" David asks, hurrying towards his daughter. Snow grabs his arm and pulls him into the bathroom to explain, leaving the task of filling in Robin and Henry with the latest to me. They turn to me expectantly, and I sigh before beginning.

"Basically, Emma is now the Dark One, but only at points. Sometimes she's just normal Emma, but then the darkness takes hold of her heart and she becomes someone we're calling the Dark Swan, because Emma didn't want the actions of the darkness being attributed directly to her. It's a bit like how I talk about what the Evil Queen did instead of what I did." I explain to the best of my ability. Henry sighs.

"I think I get it. Mum, don't blame yourself. I know she sacrificed herself for you but it's not your fault." He reinforces his message, knowing that I was about to apologise to him for giving his other Mum the darkness. I go to hug him, but the shooting pain through my abdomen reminds me that I won't be moving anywhere for a while.

Emma

When I come round, I am led on the sofa in my parents' loft, back in my normal attire. It takes me a while to remember what I did this time under the influence of the darkness, and I groan and get up, determined to apologise to Mum.

When I find her, she and Dad are discussing what to do about me and my Dark counterpart, and I join in the conversation.

"Mum, I'm really sorry." I start, but she cuts me off.

"That wasn't you, it was the Dark Swan, remember?" I smile sadly and give them my suggestion.

"What if whenever I feel the darkness coming, I give you the dagger and we put the cuff on, and we have a magic proof cage like the one you had for Gold as a Plan B?" I suggest, sparking immediate complaints from my father.

"I am not controlling my daughter or locking her in a cage."

"David, it's okay. Emma is your daughter, but we have to do what's best for her until we can find a way to get rid of the darkness without hurting anyone." Dad reluctantly agrees, and I go and share our plan with Regina. She's not overly happy with it either, but agrees to it as a temporary solution. As I sit comforting her, another thought hits me.

"We might be able to spot a pattern once it's happened a couple of times. Y'know, like every Tuesday at six forty-three or something."

"Really, love? Six forty-three?" My eyes light up as I hear the sarcastic voice of my pirate echo through the loft.

"Killian!" I run and hug him, happy to have the chance to explain everything before it happens again.

After giving him a brief overview of the whole situation, we all congregate at Regina's bedside to decide who gets the dagger. Robin still holds her hand in his, comforting her. Guilt pricks my side again as I face the consequences of what I've done. Although everyone else seems happy to separate my actions from those of my dark counterpart, I know that they will always haunt me, because I am the one doing them, whatever everyone else says. Regina says she knows how I feel, but I feel like she only knows a bit.

"Again, I'm really sorry Regina. I don't know how I can make up for what I did." She shakes her head and smiles, failing to hide the grimace at the aches and pains that I left her with.

"It's fine. I'm perfectly used to categorising things between me and my dark counterpart, so it's easy to do the same for you."

"Thank you."

Regina

Although her gratitude is sincere, I can't help but notice the guilt my friend still tries to hide in her eyes. I wonder if there may come a time that she comes and talks to me, since I know the feeling of having to make up for actions that were you and weren't you at the same time.

After some discussion, Emma decides that she wants to entrust the dagger to me, as "you're the only one who will get past their feelings and do what is necessary" if it comes to that.

"Which it won't!" Her parents argue. But she has made her mind up. I ask Snow to grab the dagger from my coat and leave it on the table beside the bed. Who knows when I'm going to need it?

I relax back down onto my bed as everyone goes to leave, beckoning to Emma when everyone else has gone.

"Emma, trust me. No one blames you for what the Dark Swan has done, and nobody will blame you for what she does in the future. They don't blame me anymore, and that was actually me, no the darkness." She sighs and perches on the end of the bed, recoiling when I flinch.

"But look at you now. I gave in to the darkness as soon as it came. That makes me weak. I could have tried to fight it. I brought back your traumatic memories, and made history repeat itself. What if you had died?" I reach my hand out and take her hand in mine.

"Trust me," I repeat, knowing how stubborn she can be. "I don't blame you for this, and neither does anyone else. Yes, it brought up memories that I'd rather keep locked up, but you had no control over that. Maybe with practise, you will be able to resist it, but for the time being, we have a plan." She smiles at me and stands up from the bed, thanking me as she leaves.

Left on my own, my thoughts drift back to last night, the buzz of electricity haunting my waking thoughts as well as my nightmares. I think back to Emma, how she walked with so much more poise and composure as the Dark Swan, all of her cares and worries gone. I know what that feels like: not being weighed down with the responsibility of doing the right thing. It's freeing. I just hope Emma doesn't decide the same thing.

Emma

I sit on the sofa back at home, Hook's arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders. His presence is comforting, even though we don't talk. Guilt fills my mind as I think back to last night, and the pain I caused my best friend. I really hope our plan works, because I don't want to hurt anyone else. If only the darkness cared what I want.

I must have been staring into space, as Killian shakes me gently to remove me from my thoughts.

"Swan? Are you okay, love?" He asks worry filling his voice. I look up into his face and smile at him.

"I'm fine, don't worry. You'll know if I'm going to go all dark on you," I joke half-heartedly, trying to make light of the situation, but he just frowns.

"Don't joke about this, Swan. We need to sort it out."

"And we will," I counter, not wanting to think about it any longer than I have to. "But right now, let's just make the most of me like this. Why don't we make some tacos?" He smiles and grabs my hand, pulling me up the stairs.

Regina

I slowly sit up and swing my legs from the bed, fully recovered from my experience three days ago. I pull my ankle boots on, brushing back my hair as I do. Robin sees me getting up and comes over.

"How are you doing, Regina?"

"I'm fine." I sigh. I love Robin, but sometimes I wish he wouldn't fawn over me like that. I pull my coat around my shoulders and head into the kitchen. Just as I go to get a drink, the phone rings. I pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Regina, it's happening. Hurry! I'm at home with Hook." My ear nearly gets blasted off by the volume of the phone, Emma's voice echoing through the loft. Knowing there's not enough time to drive, I flick my hand, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

In Emma's living room, Emma is sat on the sofa, with Killian stood a few feet away. She is already dressed in her Dark One attire, so I grab the dagger from my coat pocket.

"Emma, look at me." Her head turns and I see that her eyes are still green, showing that the transformation is not complete. "Sorry," I say, putting the dagger back for the minute. I didn't know if you were you or not." She shakes her head and smiles.

"It's fi—" Her eyes darken, and flicker shut for a moment, before opening again. I quickly fasten the cuff around her wrist and pull the dagger back out of my pocket.

"Dark One, I command you to stay on the sofa and not do anything."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma

As Regina's command leaves her lips, my whole body stiffens, obeying her immediately. Sitting down, I realise that when she said 'not do anything', the dagger took it 100% literally. I am not breathing. I can't even move my arms. I try my best to fight it, needing to breath, and manage it. For a moment, my arms rise to my throat and scrabble around as I desperately try to inhale, but a searing pain shoots through me and my arms drop back down to my sides. Regina doesn't notice, but Killian watches me and, as soon as I start struggling, he cries out.

"Regina! She can't breathe." She turns around and holds the dagger out in front of her again.

"Breathe," She commands, and I gasp as my throat clears, oxygen rushing back into my lungs. Damn her for having the dagger. Damn me for giving her the dagger and agreeing to their stupid plans. Why couldn't the darkness be less obvious? That would solve all of my problems.

"Killian, meet us back at the Charmings' loft. We shouldn't be too long." She adds, seeing the look of worry cross his face. Reluctantly, he goes to the door, shooting one last look at me before leaving.

As these thoughts finish running through my head, stars appear in my vision before everything goes black.

I come to moments later in the same position, my body still obeying Regina's earlier command. I try to make eye contact with her to let her know that I've changed back, but she is facing the other way, and the only thing I can do is breathe.

She finally turns around and notices that I'm back to normal, so she revokes her command, holding the dagger in front of her. I stand up thankfully and turn to her.

"Well," I say, walking towards her, "now we know that the dagger is very literal, and that I can still be controlled when I'm back to normal. That makes it even more important that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands." She sighs.

"I will guard it with my life."

Regina

I put the dagger back in my inside coat pocket, placing a protection spell around it when I'm done. Emma can be controlled with it even when she's not the Dark Swan, which leads me to believe that she will still have her dark magic under her saviour magic as well.

I follow her out the door of her house, and we hurry to deliver the news to Snow and Charming. She pulls open the passenger door before walking around and getting into the driver's seat. I cringe at the brightness of the yellow, the sun shining off the bonnet blinding me for a moment until I get used to it.

"Why is your car go garish, Emma?" It doesn't exactly blend in in this town. The bright yellow stands out against the dark brown of the wall behind it, and the headlights, that the idiot has left on even in pure daylight, shine onto the road, illuminating the drain.

"I like yellow!" She protests, looking back at me and laughing. "Anyway, at least I don't drive like I own the road." I roll my eyes.

"Is that your idea of a good comeback? Anyway, Technically, I do. I am the Mayor."

"Actually, no. Gold owns the entire town, which means he owns the roads. And, since we're getting technical, my Mum's the Mayor, because she cast the last curse." We get in the car and drive to her parents', parking outside and running up the stairs. I knock smartly on the door.

Hook opens it a moment later.

"Regina!" He cries, a look of concern taking over his face. "What's wrong?" I should have known he'd think something bad had happened. It does every other week in Storybrooke, after all. The Charmings come up behind him and Snow notices Emma behind me.

"Emma! Are you okay?" Emma nods.

"I'm fine, Mum. You don't need to worry." She smiles and opens the door wider, letting us in.

Emma

I follow Regina into my parents' apartment and hug Killian, happy to be back to normal for the minute. Once Mum and Dad join us, Regina explains our visit.

"While Emma was at home, the darkness came, and we discovered that she can be controlled by the dagger even when she's not the Dark Swan, and the dagger takes everything literally." Mum and Dad share a look of concern.

"How do you know this?" Mum asks for both of them

"When Regina arrived, she commanded me to look at her so she could see if the darkness had completely overtaken me, and it hadn't, and then she commanded me to sit on the sofa and do nothing and I couldn't breathe until she noticed."

"But when she arrived, the darkness had already started its job, so how do you know that the dagger can control when you're not dark at all?"

"Why don't we test it?" I suggest. Mum and Dad look at me in horror, but Regina supports my plan.

"Why not?" She says, looking pointedly at my parents. "As long as she lets us and we don't abuse it, there's no harm." They reluctantly agree, so Regina takes the dagger from her coat pocket.

"I command you to stand up and walk to the door." Before she's even finished speaking, my legs straighten and I walk to the door, stopping right outside it. "Now come back." The same thing happens again, but when I get back, I have control again.

"Well, it works," Regina confirms, putting it back in her coat. I hold out my hand to stop her.

"Wait. If you command me to use magic, will it be dark or light?" I wonder aloud.

"I would assume dark, but let's find out." She holds the dagger in front of her once more. "Dark One, I command you to transport us to my vault and then back." My fingers click, and we appear in Regina's vault but, after a brief pause, we're back in the loft. I look at her questioningly, having been paying too much attention to what I was doing to see how I was doing it. "Dark," She says, confirming our suspicions. I sigh.

"I'm gonna go home and get some rest." I grab my jacket and beckon to Killian. We leave, hearing the door shutting behind us as we make our way to the car.

"Why don't you go and grab some pancakes? I'll go and turn the oven on." I suggest. A look of concern flickers on his face and I sigh. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Regina

As Emma and Killian leave and the door shuts behind them, I turn to Snow and David.

"You know she's not okay, right?" I check, not sure how well they actually know their daughter. They might be her parents, but I've been through what she's going through.

"She seemed fine." Snow counters. I roll my eyes in exasperation.

"Honestly, call yourselves parents. Can't you tell she's not happy?" As soon as I say it, I wish I could take it back. It is my fault that they didn't get to bring her up, after all. My fault that Emma built walls so high they've only fallen recently. "Sorry," I murmur. They shake their heads, happily forgiving me.

"Don't worry, Regina, it's fine," David says. "Now, what's wrong with our daughter?" I hesitate before I reply, knowing Emma will hate me for this later, but I think it's best for her.

"She's putting her walls back up. She doesn't want to end up hurting anybody, so she's reverting back to how she was before." The utter surprise on Snow's face is actually quite funny, and I have to remind myself that now is not the time.

"How do you know all of this? Has she told you?" She sounds worried, and I don't blame her. Emma was confiding in her more and, if she had told me instead of her mother, that kind of proves my point.

"No. I just know what it's like to have—it's almost like an evil alter-ego. I know what it's like to deal with the punishment you inflict on yourself."

Emma

As I walk in the door and ditch my shoes on the mat, I feel the darkness start to take its grip on my heart. I reach for my phone and hit the power button. A battery cell flashes on the screen. Crap. It's flat. I run up to the bedroom I share with Hook and root through the draws in the hope of finding something like the cuff that Regina has, but to no avail.

I know I can't leave, because I will just hurt the entire town. A thought hits me, and I run to the door to use Regina's go-to and put a protection spell around the house. However, I'm too late, and my eyes flicker shut involuntarily.

When I open my eyes, I'm back in my black leather. I sigh with relief. This is so much more comfortable. Why my 'light side' can't live in leather, I don't know. Those jeans she thinks are so cool are just so uncomfortable. And her insufferable family. Prissy Snow White and her Prince Charming. I make my way to the door, throwing it open and strutting down the steps. I wave my hand, and transport myself to their flat.

I appear in the middle of the room, and smirk at their surprised faces.

"Miss me?" I put my hand on my hip. "Now, who to punish first? Snow White, her precious, charming prince or the Evil Queen who started it all?" Regina creates a fireball in her hand, but I put it out lazily. "Do you really think that'll work on me?"

"Emma, please. This isn't you." My father pleads, dread filling his eyes as I reach my hand out and make a fist. His hands scrabble at his throat as I put him through the same pain Regina put me through.

"Actually, this is me. The prissy princess who walks around in jeans and cares about everyone except us is the person who isn't me." I go to finish him off, but my vision blacks out and my legs collapse under me.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina

I watch in horror as dark Emma collapses, leaving David gasping for breath on the floor next to her.

"Are you okay?" I ask, hurrying to his side. He nods his head.

"I'm fine." Reassured, I turn to Emma. She should have woken back up by now. Her clothes and hair are back to normal. I carefully open her eyes, and they're back to normal too. I bend down to pick her up, but David beats me to it and places her on the sofa.

"We should probably call Hook," I say, looking pointedly at Snow, who is stood by the phone. She dials his number, and I do my best not to eavesdrop as the conversation starts.

I think back to my time as Rumple's student, trying to think of any clue as to why Emma is like this when Rumple just turned completely dark. Maybe he didn't but just decided to even when the darkness wasn't there. Maybe it's because she's the saviour, so the darkness can't overwhelm her completely. My thoughts drift to worrying about Emma, and her wellbeing while she is the Dark One. If I know her, and I'd like to think I do, she will punish herself for this.

I notice Snow coming off the phone, so come out of my thoughts. As I do, I notice Emma's eyes flutter open and stare in horror at her hands.

"What have I done?" She grabs her phone from the table and runs out of the door. Snow watches in horror.

"Emma- Wait!"

Emma

I run to my bug and fling myself in the driver's seat, not bothering with my belt as I start the engine. I need to get as far away from everyone as I can. They're not safe around me. I nearly killed my own father. What kind of person does that?

I drive to the edge of town, before turning off into the woods. I'll stay at the sorcerer's mansion. They'll probably look for me in the clearing I stayed in when I destroyed the Sheriff's station. I can't believe it's happened again. They should have learned from the first time. I should have learned from the first time. I should never have gone back.

I pull up at the mansion and park my bug just in the woods, out of sight. Whatever I said to Regina, sometimes I regret having a yellow car. I walk up the steps and into the front door, Thank God it's open. I shouldn't really break in somewhere.

I carry on walking, but turn quickly. Something is following me. I keep going, but spin again and there's still nothing there. I tell myself that I'm just paranoid but, try as I might, I can't get rid of the feeling that something isn't right.

Knowing I won't sleep easy in here, I head back to my car. It's not that uncomfortable to sleep there.

Regina

I grab my coat from the back of my chair as Snow opens the door. However, she freezes, a look of horror and surprise crossing her face.

"What are you doing here? How are you awake?" As she opens the door wider, I see who it is. Rumpelstiltskin. He walks in and faces me.

"I'm here..." He waves his hand and finishes his sentence as the smoke clears away from the object he's acquired. "for this." My eyes widen as I see what he has in his hands. How did he get that? I put a protection spell around it.

"No!" David shouts, tackling him, but he just disappears in a cloud of smoke.

"What do we do now?" Snow asks.

"We warn Emma. Now that he has the dagger, there's no telling what he will use it for," I say. As soon as I finish my sentence, David grabs his phone and rings Emma. After a while, he pulls it away from his ear.

"She's not picking up."

"Then leave her a message, idiot. In the meantime, I'll see if I can work out how to get that dagger back." As I pull my coat tighter around myself, I realise I must have placed the spell over it in my coat, so it wore off when I took the dagger out. I groan internally. Why am I such an idiot?

I wave my arm and disappear in a cloud of smoke, appearing moments later in my vault. As stupid as it seems, I try the most obvious approach first—summoning it to my hand. Of course it doesn't work, but it was worth a shot.

After trying almost everything else, I turn to my last option. If I can find some squid ink, I can immobilise Gold long enough to get Emma's dagger back off him. I know he has some in his shop, but I can't break in alone.

Satisfied with my plan, I head back to the Charmings' to work out the details.

Emma

I wake up to the ringtone of my phone echoing through the car. I turn my phone over and an image of Hook flashes on the screen. I pick it up with a sigh.

"Hello?"

"Swan? Where are you?" I hear the desperation in his voice but choose to ignore it.

"It doesn't matter. I'm a danger to all of you. I'll sort this but, until then, please don't come and look for me."

"Emma, wait." He stops me from hanging up. "What's your plan?"

"I'm going to—" I start replying but, before I get the chance to finish, I disappear, dropping my phone in my seat.

I reappear in Gold's shop and gasp as I see him stood in front of me, my dagger clasped in his hand.

"Wha- how did you get that?" My thoughts start racing. Did Regina give it to him?

"That doesn't concern you. All you need to know, Dearie, is that I now control you. You will meet me in the woods at sunset. Now, go back to your family and act like nothing happened."

Regina

I sit around the small table in the Charmings' loft, discussing my plan with them and Hook in detail. But just as we get into the main part of it, the door opens and Emma walks in. Hook immediately gets up and runs to her.

"Swan! Are you alright?" He kisses her and I turn away at once. I hear her chuckle, so turn back.

"I'm fine. I just needed to clear my head," She replies. Hook seems satisfied by this, but something doesn't feel right.

"Where did you go, Emma?" A flicker pf emotion passes over her face, but it doesn't linger long enough for me to identify it. She hesitates before she replies.

"I just walked through the woods from my house and then I came back here." My gut tells me she's lying, so I think about where there might be CCTV between here and the woods. I may have come from the Enchanted Forest, but I did learn some things as Mayor, and from Emma once we started working together.

Leaving her with her one-handed boyfriend and her parents, I head to the Sheriff's station. Due to the lack of normal crime in Storybrooke, no one really works here except for David, who seems to have taken the title of Sheriff from his daughter. He hasn't really done much since the Snow Queen, although that was more Emma than him.

I make my way to the computer and pull up the footage from places round town, including but not limited to places en route to the forest. I try and watch them all, and notice something from around 2 this afternoon. Emma said she just went to the forest and came back, but here shows her leaving Gold's shop.

Emma

I sit around the table with Killian and my parents, replaying this afternoon's events in my head. Part of me wants to try and fight the dagger's command and tell them, but the other part of me knows just how painful that will be and chickens out. I decide to wait for Regina to come back. Her instincts are usually pretty good, so hopefully she'll at least notice I'm trying to fight it.

As it nears sunset, nausea settles in at the bottom of my stomach. What am I going to tell them? I need to leave soon, because if it gets to sunset, I'll probably disappear in a cloud of dark magic, and then they'll know something's up.

"I'm gonna go grab some food from Granny's. I won't be long," I say, my weak excuse seeming to convince them. I grab my coat and phone and walk out the door. I wait for it to shut completely before I transport myself to the forest, dreading whatever twisted plan Gold has for me.

When I reappear in the forest, Gold is stood waiting for me.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to turn up, dearie. But then, you have no choice, do you?" I raise my hands to blast him with my magic, but he grabs the dagger and stops me.

"Ah-ah-ah," he says, the clear look of enjoyment on his face infuriating me even more. I try and fight it, and manage to raise my arms, but I'm not strong enough to finish the job, so I decide instead to save my strength for fighting it by telling Regina.

Regina

Armed with my new knowledge, I teleport myself directly to the Charmings' loft, not bothering about their privacy. This is more important.

Luckily for me, they're still sat around the table with Killian, but Emma is nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Emma?" I ask as soon as I appear, scaring them all to death.

"Why? Where have you been, Regina?" Snow asks me sceptically. I roll my eyes.

"While you've been here discussing when to hold the next ball or whatever it is you talk about, I was investigating what Emma said. Something didn't seem right. And I was right. So, where is she?"

"She went to Granny's to get some food."

"Is that the best excuse she could come up with? You didn't think to question why she was going to Granny's on her own to get some food when you have food here? Honestly." Sometimes I wonder how well versed in real life they actually are. "I pulled the CCTV footage from around town for this afternoon, and Emma came out of Gold's shop just after 2. Did you forget he had the dagger?" The look on Snow's face changes from exasperated to horrified in an instant.

"Do you think she's OK?"

"Well, I have no way to track her, so I think our best bet is to wait for her to come back, and then try and get her to fight the dagger just long enough to tell us what's going on."


	5. Chapter 5

Emma

"What do you want, Gold?" He laughs his impish laugh, acting much more like Rumpelstiltskin than the refined Mr Gold.

"I want your help, dearie. And since I knew you wouldn't just give it to me, I had to make you. Tomorrow at noon, you will meet me at the town line. We're going on a trip. And, just to be certain you don't, if you fight the dagger, you will punish yourself afterwards, because I know you won't be able to do it for very long. Now, do what you do best and pretend you've just been wherever you say you've been." The 'punishing yourself' reminds me of the Harry Potter movies I watched as a kid. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever."

Regina

We make small talk until Emma returns. She walks in the door as if nothing's happened, but her face lights up as soon as she sees me. I wonder why for a second, but then I find out.

"Regina, good, you're here. Mum, Dad, Killian, can you come in here?" They come back from the kitchen, worried, clearly thinking about what I said earlier. "OK, this is not gonna be pretty, but don't stop me." She takes a deep breath. "G-gold summoned me with the dagger." Her face creases in pain as soon as she starts speaking, and I can tell she's straining. "He ordered m-me not to say anything, but t-told me that I had to meet him in the f-forest at sunset today." She stops and takes a breath, clearly in agony from fighting the dagger. "He told me t-to meet him at the town line tomorrow a-at noon. Said we're going on a trip. Then he told me to p-punish myself whenever I fight the dagger. I'll probably end up doing th-that after this. But every time he sees m-me, he orders me to come back and pre-pretend that nothing happened." She finishes and collapses on the sofa, clearly exhausted from fighting it for so long. She did well.

All of a sudden, she stands up, walks to the wall, and starts banging her head against it. Snow runs over to stop her, but a blast of dark magic pushes her away. I watch in horror as she continues for a while, before she falls to the floor at my feet.

Emma

I wake up led in my parent's bed with Mum stood watching over me. I would usually find that creepy or awkward or something, but my pounding head is all I can really focus on.

"Wha-what happened?" I murmur, or at least, I think I do. It sounds like yelling in my head.

"You managed to fight the dagger and tell us about Gold, but then you hit your head against the wall until you passed out. Something about he ordered you to punish yourself if you fought the dagger." Mum seems to realise that I have a massive headache, as she whispers the answer.

"Is everyone else okay? And why isn't my magic healing me more quickly?"

"We're fine, Emma. It's not your fault. You were really strong to fight it long enough to tell us. I just wish you could have fought it a bit longer. And we don't know why your magic isn't healing you more quickly. Regina thinks it must have something to do with the order Gold gave you, because it wouldn't really be a punishment if you just healed straight away. Also, why did you punish yourself until you passed out? That wasn't part of the order, was it?" I take a while to comprehend everything she says but, once I do, I reply.

"I was thinking about these movies I watched as a kid. They were about wizards, and they had these elf things—they were like slaves. But part of their—I dunno, I guess their code thing was that they punished themselves when they disobeyed their masters. The main one in the movies did it by hitting his head against the wall. I guess because I was thinking about it, that's how I punished myself." I relax back onto the bed, whispering a small paragraph having exhausted me. I want to laugh at the state I'm in, but I can't even do that. Mum notices how exhausted I am, so walks toward the door.

"I'll leave you in peace."

Regina

As soon as Snow comes out of her bedroom, she's crowded by David and Hook, so I stay back.

"Is she okay? How's her head?" Snow sighs and sits at the table.

"Shhhh. Keep it down. She has a massive headache, but otherwise I think she's okay physically. I don't know about mentally." I walk round behind her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. I can talk to her once she wakes up if you want." Snow smiles at me and nods.

"That would be nice."

"You need to get some rest, Snow. I know you want to be there for our daughter, but you did get shoved back by magic. You should at least lay down on the sofa." David comes forward, standing on her other side.

"Fine," She conceded, getting up and moving to the sofa. She falls asleep almost straight away, and I head back to David to discuss what to do next.

Emma

I wake to the feeling of the darkness taking its grip on my heart once more.

"Regina!" I call out, the cry echoing through my head. They'll have to put me in the cage, because they don't have the dagger. Regina runs into the bedroom, and I tell her as much.

"But you can't be moved," she protests.

"What other choice do we have? You have to do it, now. Otherwise who knows what'll happen." She sighs in defeat.

"Fine. But Guyliner can carry you. You're not walking."

"OK," I agree, knowing that's the only way I can get her to agree. She grabs Killian and my parents, and we head to the cage, which Regina set up in her vault.

As we near the vault, a thought hits me.

"Does anyone know what happens if Gold summons me while I'm in the cage? Does nothing happen or will it hurt again?" I ask, curious. After all, my parents did keep Rumpelstiltskin captive. However, they all shake their heads.

Once we enter the vault, Killian hurries down the stairs, where Regina is waiting with the door open.

"Are you sure, Swan? Surely you can't do very much in the state you're in?" It's nice that Killian's worried about me.

"Yes, I'm sure. And I'll be fine. It shouldn't be for too long." He puts me down on the floor of the cage and walks out, looking back at me once more before he walks out.

As I hear the lock in the door click, my vision goes black.

Regina

I watch as Emma passes out on the floor of the cage, annoyed that I didn't think to brighten this place up. I know she will be the Dark One when she wakes up, but she's still hurt. Her hair styles itself into her normal plaited bun, her clothes changing to the black leather that she seems to have taken from her pirate. Make-up is applied to her face more heavily, and her eyes flutter open, revealing black irises. She stands up slowly, yanking the bandages off her head. I reach out, but stop myself. We'll just have to treat her when she's back to normal.

Suddenly, the look of anger on her face is replaced by one of agony. She cries out and starts grappling at her head, almost as if she's trying to grab hold of the pain.

"He's—he's summoning me but I c-can't go." Snow and David run up to the bars of the cage. They start unlocking the cage, so I pull them back.

"What are you doing?" I ask them, glaring at them both.

"She's in pain. We have to let her out so that she can obey the dagger," Snow pleads, but I shake my head.

"As hard as it is to watch, she has to stay there. If she manages to get the dagger back off Gold before she turns back to normal, who knows what she might do. If it bothers you, then wait upstairs." I sound harsh, but I know I'm right. If we let her out, the pain she's feeling now will be nothing compared to the pain of the guilt over whatever she might do.

Emma

All I can feel is pain. My mind is foggy and my hands scrabble at my face, leaving scratches from my nails. If I could, I would be angry at the Charmings and the Queen, but I can't. I notice my hand come away from my face covered in blood. I must've either opened up my wound from this afternoon or scratched myself so much that I've drawn blood.

I fall to the ground and writhe around, feeling like fire is moving through my veins where blood should be. My magic bubbles near my stomach, wanting nothing more than to transport me to wherever Gold might be calling me from. Usually it warms me from the inside, comforting me, but now it fights me and the environment around me, adding to the pain by the second.

Through the haze of torture, I notice the Charmings trying to unlock the cage before Regina pulls them back. However much I hate them, at least one of them has sense.

Seeing her physically restrain them reminds me of the order Gold gave me to punish myself for resisting the dagger. I'm not doing it yet, because this cage is resisting the dagger for me, but I probably will when they let me out. I surrender myself to the pain once more, letting myself black out.

Regina

Watching Emma writhe around on the floor is tragic, but I know we can't let her out. She finally falls still, having blacked out from the pain, but her face is still creased in agony.

After what feels like forever, her hair releases itself back into golden waves around her face, and her clothes change back to normal. Her make-up disappears. The only sign of what's just happened is the pain still etched on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma

When I wake up, the ghost of the agony from this evening still haunts me. They must've taken me out of the cage, as I am now led in a bed that I can only assume is Regina's, in a hidden corner of her vault. My face is covered in bandages which, as the memories slowly come back to me, I realise must be covering the scratches I gave myself.

Before I can even alert anyone to the fact that I'm awake, my legs swing off the bed and walk me over to the wall. My head bangs against the stone wall, and I cry out as it hits exactly the same place it did last time.

In the corner of my eye, I notice Mum, Dad, Killian and Regina come running at the sound of my voice, but once again they are powerless to do anything about it.

I fall to the floor, managing to stay on the brink of consciousness. Killian runs forward and helps me back onto the bed and they all crowd around me, wanting answers but afraid to ask for them.

"I'm fine. You really don't need to worry," I try and convince them but Regina sees right through my act.

"You're not fine. You've just reopened a head wound that I assume will just keep reopening every time you resist the dagger. Can't you think of a less aggressive punishment that still counts?"

"Can you?" I fire back, annoyed at her for thinking I haven't tried. Does she think I want to have a head wound for the rest of my life? She shakes her head. "That's what I thought."

Regina

I look Emma in the eyes, hoping she can see the sympathy I feel for her. I can't tell her I understand, because I don't. I've never been controlled by a dark wizard. I shoot a pointed look at Snow, David and Killian, before shifting my eyes to the door. They seem to get the message, and leave us in peace.

"How are you?" She looks over herself before answering.

"I mean, I hurt all over and I'm bleeding from multiple places on my head and face, but otherwise I'm just perfect." Of course she uses sarcasm as a wall.

"No, Emma, I can see you're physically in pain. How are you?" She sighs, giving in.

"I almost killed my father. I deserve all of this. I just hope that Gold doesn't make me do anything worse." I go to place my hand on her shoulder but hesitate, not sure if I'm OK to do so. A nod in my direction gives me my answer, so I finish the action, hoping to comfort her.

"Emma, I have done so many bad things, and they were actually me. I've stood in the middle of villages that I torched and laughed at the pain I've caused. I murdered my own father so that I could get revenge on your mother for telling a secret. And I don't have the darkness to blame. The actions of the Dark Swan, they aren't you. Once your back to full health, I wouldn't be surprised if you can fight the darkness. No one blames you for any of it." I finish my speech and she smiles sadly at me.

"Thanks, Regina."

Emma

Regina goes to leave, but a thought hits me and I stop her.

"Once you took me out the cage, why didn't I immediately transport to wherever Gold was summoning me from?" She shrugs.

"If I had to guess, I would say that either some of the cages magic was still stopping yours, or he stopped summoning you. Probably the latter." I nod my head in acknowledgement. I jump as the clock strikes 11. It can't be that time already. We need to prepare for meeting Gold at the town line. Now that my parents know, it shouldn't count as resisting the dagger. However, the order was to 'act like nothing happened,' so it might.

I say as much to Regina, who agrees with me and calls for Mum, Dad and Killian. I suddenly realise that I haven't seen Henry for the past few days, and feel like a terrible mother.

"Before we start talking about this afternoon, does anyone know where Henry is?" Regina nods. I'm glad he has her to take care of her.

"He's found this girl he likes, Violet. He's being staying at mine to give us some space, and seeing her most days, I think. He also has school."

"Cool. Thanks again, Regina. Now, what are we going to do about this afternoon?" Hope builds in me as the pain doesn't return. Maybe this doesn't count as resisting the dagger.

Regina

I notice Emma's face flood with relief as she starts talking about what we're going to do this afternoon and she doesn't get overwhelmed with pain. If she had, I would have suggested we leave her out of the conversation. There's only so much pain a person can take.

"So Rumple's going to summon you at noon, I assume, which means we need to have a way to get there without him noticing as well. I can use my magic, but we'll have to be far enough away otherwise he'll know someone's using magic." I set out the basics, watching Snow and David's faces for their reactions.

"I assume he wants me to leave town to do something, but I won't be able to come back without the Snow Queen's scroll. One of you will have to follow me after about an hour. I'll make sure I leave traces of where I've been," Emma says. I take a second to wonder if she knows more about his plan than she's letting on but, if she does, she must have a reason for keeping it to herself, so I leave her be.

"I'll bring the scroll and as soon as I can, following your traces," I say, getting in before the Charmings or Killian can. I think it should be me to follow her, because I have magic to protect us. I know Emma does too, but who knows what orders Gold might leave her with. Once we cross the line and we're in the land without magic, she has to follow whatever orders have already been set out for her.

I make sure that Emma's aware of that. "You do realise that whatever orders he leaves you with, you'll have to follow until we get back. He won't be able to give you new orders, but it'll also be harder to fight it." She nods her head, but Snow protests.

"You didn't tell us that, Emma." She sounds upset that her daughter didn't tell her, but I can see why se didn't.

"I didn't think it was important. Sorry."

Emma

As the clock strikes noon, I use my magic to transport myself to the town line before Gold makes me.

When I appear, he looks like he's about to do just that. I stare at him blankly, betraying nothing.

"Ah, good. You're here. I see you've been following orders to some extent. How did you disobey the dagger, Ms Swan?" He asks, holding it out in front of him so I have to reply.

"They locked me up when I went Dark so I couldn't come when you summoned me," I say, having already planned what I was going to say. I assumed he would ask me, and that isn't a lie. It's just not the whole truth.

"But that's not the whole truth, is it?" Damn that imp. I don't usually think of Rumpelstiltskin, but sometimes it just makes insulting him more fun.

"Yes, it is." I grit my teeth behind the blank canvas of my face, trying my utmost not to show the pain of fighting the dagger. Then I realise that, now that I've fought it, I'm going to have to carry on until he leaves, otherwise he'll know. Great.

He pauses for a moment, clearly waiting for me to start punishing myself. When he realises that's not going to happen, he carries on with his plan.

"You will go to Virginia and find a woman called Pocahontas. When you find her, make her take you to a willow tree that she calls Grandmother Willow. Once you have gained their trust, bring back as much of the bark from the tree as you can. Now, cross the town line. Your car is waiting for you on the other side." For the first time, I notice my car waiting in the road, packed with stuff. I'm not sure what he's given me, because all of the stuff I brought to Storybrooke barely fills one suitcase.

My legs carry me over the line, and I get in my car, stopping myself resisting the dagger. My head hits the steering wheel once, but then stops. I sigh with relief.

Reassured knowing that Regina will be with me soon enough, I start the engine, and start on this mission for Gold.

Regina

We watch from behind the trees as Emma drives away from the town line, unable to come back until I catch up to her. Rumple watches her for a while, before turning and walking back towards the town centre. He seems almost frail without his magic, and the evil part of me wants to laugh at him.

Once he's well out of sight, we walk to the town line, taking great care to stay the right side of it. I wave my hand, and my car appears, ready for me to follow Emma. I tell the Charmings to look after Henry and let him know what we're doing, and reassure Killian that I'll take care of Emma.

Finally, everything is in place, so I get in my car. I made sure to put a couple of suitcases full of my stuff in when we planned this, so it's ready.

I start the engine and check my pocket for the scroll once more before driving over the line. I look in the rear-view mirror as the three figures at the line get smaller and smaller until I round a corner and they disappear completely. I focus back on the road in front of me, knowing that Emma can't have got that far. She only left ten minutes before me, after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma

I decide to stop at the coffee place where we found Lily to wait for Regina. Hopefully she's only ten minutes behind me. I walk into the shop and sit down at the first table I see, feeling a huge sense of déjà vu.

I hear the sound of a car engine in the car park and turn, smiling as I recognise Mercedes pulling into the parking lot. I grab my coffee from the table and put the cash on the table before going out to meet her. We decide to keep going in my car, so transfer all of her stuff. She leaves me with the task of checking with the staff that we can leave her car here for a while. They agree, albeit reluctantly.

We carry on our journey, stopping in Boston for the night. We use my old apartment, which is still somehow miraculously under my name, and I take the sofa so Regina can have the bed. She tries to argue, saying that I need it more than I do, but she is my guest, so I insist.

Once she has finally admitted defeat and retired to my old room, I grab my phone and look through the old photos, feeling nostalgic. I lean back on the sofa, resting my heavily bandaged head on the arm rest. I'm very glad we didn't have to find a hotel, because I'll probably end up in surgery in a hospital somewhere if anyone sees what I look like.

I am just drifting off to sleep when my hand reaches for my phone and starts dialling a number that I don't recognise. I yell for Regina and she comes running.

"Regina, what's going on?" I ask, just as my finger hits the call button. She shrugs and sits down next to me, waiting for the phone call to finish.

"Hello?" A voice from the other end speaks, sending shivers down my spine when I realise who the owner is.

"Gold?"

"So it does work. I wanted to check if I could control you now that you're in the land without magic and I can. I'll leave you to your mission now." He hangs up and I pull my phone away from my ear.

Regina

The look of horror on Emma's face and the worry in her voice when she says Rumple's curse name tells me something is definitely wrong.

"Emma? What is it? Why did you ring Rumple?" She lifts her eyes up from the floor to look at me, then replies.

"Because he ordered me to." I gasp in shock.

"But he can't control you outside of Storybrooke. There's no magic."

"Apparently, he can. I was falling asleep but then my hand picked up my phone and started dialling his number as if it had a mind of its own." Well. This complicates things. "You do realise this also means that I'll have no idea what I'm doing until I've done it, though? Because I can't hear the orders he gives me, I just have to obey them. It also means I can't resist them, because I won't know which actions to resist. What if he makes me do something horrible?" Her voice breaks as she finishes her question, and I look at her in surprise. Apart from when she took the darkness, I've only ever seen her cry from anger. She's always had at least one wall up. Now they've all tumbled down, and I'm not sure I know how to deal with it.

Her eyes widen as she seems to realise something else.

"Regina, we have no way to stop the darkness. If I can be controlled, that means I might still go dark, but we have no dagger and, even if we had the cage, it probably wouldn't work. You'll have to, like, tie me up or something." I sigh and stay silent, trying and, so far, failing, to formulate a plan. I try thinking out loud to see if Emma can help.

"Maybe, I could drive and we could tie you in the passenger seat. Hopefully, you won't have magic, but if you do you can summon the cuff before you go completely dark. Will that work?" She nods her head in reply, gulping to try and stem the tears flooding from her eyes.

Emma

Regina finishes tying me up in the passenger seat of my bug and shuts the door, walking around and getting in the driver's seat. It feels really strange because I've never sat in the passenger seat before, but I guess I've also never been tied to a car seat.

One of my wrists is tied to the door, but done so that I can't reach the door handle. The other is tied behind my neck, under the headrest. There is a rope around my waist that also goes around the seat. It goes under the seatbelt, making it highly uncomfortable, but I know we can't risk me turning dark in the middle of the Land Without Magic.

Once Regina starts the engine, she looks over at me. I nod her way, and we pull away from my old apartment and head for New York, where we've planned to stop for lunch.

"Uh, Regina, what happens if a cop notices me tied up like this? They'll think you're kidnapping me." Her face pales and she takes her eyes off the road for the moment to look at me.

"We'll tell them you want to be tied up?" I laugh.

"You really think they'll believe that? I know. We'll tell them it's a dare. We look young enough to still be playing a game like that." She inclines her head in recognition, ever the Queen.

Regina

Three and a half hours later, we arrive in New York and head for Neal's old apartment. Emma wanted to just stop for lunch and then carry on going, but I managed to change her mind. Rumple didn't say how long she should take, so it doesn't matter anyway.

I pull up outside the apartment block and stop the engine before getting out and untying Emma. We get a few strange looks from passers-by but no one stops to question us. Apparently, this is normal behaviour for New York.

With Emma safely untied, we head up to the apartment and plan how we're going to get the bark from this tree.

"We have to find a woman named Pocahontas, who Gold said will lead us to the tree. I can't betray her though. Once I trust her enough, I'll tell her our story, even if Gold commands me not to," Emma says, outlining her plan. I go to protest, knowing from experience that even if you think you can trust someone, it doesn't mean you can.

"True," she counters," but with my usually good judgement and your past experience, we should be able to tell when we can trust her."

"Fair enough. What time will we leave tomorrow?"

"Dawn. I want to be down there as quickly as possible but, since you convinced me to stay here tonight, that won't be today."

Emma orders food from a pizza place that she and Henry used to order from when they lived here. Following that, we quickly fall asleep.

Emma

I wake in the middle of the night and look around, trying to work out what woke me up. I lie awake for an hour, trying to get back to sleep but fail. Instead, I stare up at the ceiling, formulating a plan as to how to gain Pocahontas' trust.

Eventually, I get back to sleep, but am soon woken again by Regina just before sunrise. We make our way to the car and I sit back in the passenger seat, ready for Regina to tie me up.

"Why don't you try summoning the cuff now? Since your saviour magic is special, it might work." I wave my hand, and the cuff appears in my hand. Smiling, I wave it again, this time trying to summon the dagger. It doesn't work. I don't know why I thought it would. Of course Gold has a protection spell around it.

"Are you sure about this, Emma?" Regina asks once more, tying the last knot around my waist.

"I'm sure. It worked yesterday." The cuff that I managed to summon yesterday is already fastened around my wrist, under the rope tying my arm to the door. I'm fairly sure that the rope is cutting off my circulation, but we can't take any chances.

Regina starts the engine and we head out of New York towards Virginia to find Pocahontas.

About three hours into the journey, I feel the near familiar sensation of the darkness on my heart and turn to warn Regina.

"Crap! Are you sure?" I roll my eyes at her question.

"Do I look like I'd joke about that?" Her face floods with guilt.

"Sorry."

Regina

Emma relaxes in her seat next to me as she blacks out as normal before she wakes up again Dark.

When her eyes shudder open, the first thing does is glare at me.

"Why did I let you tie me up? Where are we going? And why am I wearing this damn cuff?" I decide not to reply, knowing there will be no reasoning with her as the Dark One.

Suddenly, she headbutts my shoulder, causing me to turn the wheel sharply, and we crash into the side of the road.

I look over at Emma, and see that she has been knocked out against the dashboard. She still wears her black leather but the aggressive expression has been replaced by her resting face. Her arm sticks out at an odd angle. It must have twisted because it was still tied to the door. Her head wound has also reopened, and the scratches stand out more prominently against her porcelain skin.

I call an ambulance and hope that she has changed back before they arrive. I make sure to untie her as soon as I come off the phone. I know she didn't want this trip delayed, but we need to make sure she's okay.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma

I wake up in a bed on the ambulance, and it takes a while to remember what happened. The paramedic must have given me painkillers, as my arm only aches, even though I can see it isn't at the right angle.

"Oh, you're awake," the paramedic notices. "I'm Teresa. What's you're name?"

"Emma." I say weakly, unsure what's wrong with my head. Everything feels muffled and it seems to take me twice as long to understand what someone says and then answer them. "What happened?"

"You were in a car crash. You got knocked out against the dashboard and got a nasty cut on your head, but your friend is fine. She's following in your car." I'm glad Regina's OK. And, if she's following in my car, the car must be fine too. My thoughts turn to our mission and I silently curse Regina for calling an ambulance. We should be carrying on to Virginia, not stopping in a hospital in the middle of nowhere.

"How long will it take to fix me?" Teresa blinks, surprised, although I'm not sure why.

"Well, I gave you stitches in your head while you were still out, but your arm is going to need surgery. You'll also need to be careful with your head for a while, though, or it'll reopen. We'll probably keep you in for a couple of days to make sure you're well on your way to recovery." She pauses to grab something from the bag behind her before continuing. "Now, I'm going to check your head. Follow this with your eyes." She holds up a pencil in front of my face, and I focus my eyes on it. When my eyes focus, she seems to be holding two, so I flick between each one, trying to work out which one she wants me to focus on.

"Is something wrong, Emma?" She asks me, looking at me with a confused expression.

"Which pencil do you want me to follow?" Her face drops and she takes a breath before turning to me.

"There is only one pencil, Emma." I look at her in confusion, repeating her words under my breath to comprehend them quicker.

"But there was two. I saw them." She shakes her head and perches on the chair next to the bed. We must be nearly at the hospital by now.

"You have concussion. You'll have to stay in hospital until you stop seeing double. If you focus on anything else, do you see double of that as well?" I focus on her bag on the other side of the ambulance, and flinch when another looks like it appears as it becomes more focus. I point at the bag with my uninjured arm.

"That."

Regina

I follow the ambulance as best as I can, wanting to keep up since I don't know where the hospital is. It isn't too hard as Emma's injuries aren't life-threatening, so it doesn't have its siren on.

We arrive at the hospital and I make sure I lock the car before running up to the paramedic who was in the ambulance with Emma.

"How is she?"

"She has concussion and her arm will need surgery. You'll have to wait for the doctor to give you more details." They hurry her into their A&E department so that a doctor can finalise the paramedic's diagnosis. I rush after them, but soon get stopped by the doctor, who tells me that they will call me once they've checked her over again.

I sit in the waiting room and pull my phone out my pocket, needing to hear Robin's voice. However, I ring the Charmings first, knowing I should let them know that their daughter is in hospital.

Snow picks up after a couple of rings.

"Hello?"

"Snow, it's me. Regina."

"Regina. Is everything okay?"

"Everything will be fine. I'm in the hospital waiting room at the moment, somewhere between New York and Virginia. Emma went dark on the drive and managed to make me crash the car. She reopened her head wound and broke her arm. They think she'll need a maximum of a week in hospital before we can carry on her mission." I hear Hook in the background yell Emma's name, and David gasps.

"Sorry, you're on speaker. Will she be okay? Can I talk to her?" At just the right moment, the doctor comes to the door and beckons me, so I let Snow know that I'm just going in and I'll ring her back. I grab my handbag and walk through the door.

Emma is led on the bed with her arm in a sling, suspended above her head. Her head wound has been stitched up, but her golden hair is stained red where it bled. The doctor sits down at his computer and motions to the chair opposite for me to do the same.

"She has concussion, so I'm going to need you to fill in the details for me. The only record we have is that she gave birth to a son fourteen years ago and gave him up for adoption. Past that, we have no record of her."

Emma

I lay in the hospital bed listening to Regina and the doctor talk about me. I want to help them, but doing anything sends a searing pain through my head, so I decide against it.

Eventually, they stop talking about me and start working out when they're going to fix me.

"I've scheduled the operation for this afternoon, so I'm afraid she can't eat or drink anything," The doctor says, standing up. He walks over and looks down at me. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes." My voice is a whisper, and barely makes it to his ears.

"Good. Your friend has asked for you to be put in a side room. She said that you have episodes where you don't remember anything. Is that correct?"

'No,' I think, but Regina catches my eye and nods her head so I reply.

"Yes," I whisper again. I wish he'd stop asking me questions. It's making my head hurt.

They wheel me through the main ward into a side room, where they leave me and Regina in peace.

"Sorry, Emma. I told them that thing about you having episodes in case you go dark, or Rumple orders you to do something and you can't do it."

"OK. Thanks, Regina."

Regina

They come and get Emma for her surgery and tell me that I can't go into the operating theatre but I can wait outside. I watch as they put her under the anaesthetic and she relaxes onto the bed. The fact that there's a visible change in her posture on a bed when she's been sedated shows how stressed and tense she's been.

I've been sat outside for a while when one of the nurses comes out of the door, taking her mask off as she comes. She beckons to me from my seat, so I walk over to her.

"Is everything okay?" I hope nothing's happened.

"The doctor has just finished the operation and is in the process of sewing her up, but she started flailing around. There's no sign that she's come round from the anaesthetic, so we were wondering if you knew what was going on." Oh gods. Rumple must be ordering her to do something, and she can't.

"She sometimes has these episodes. They don't usually last very long. She should stop soon." Just as I finish speaking, another nurse comes to the door to take the first nurse back in. It seems I was right.

"Thank you, Ms Mills."

When they wheel Emma out of the operating theatre and back to her ward, they let me sit in until she wakes up, but a nurse keeps me company to make sure she comes round alright. We make small talk, which I've never liked, but she initiated.

As soon as Emma comes round, she stands up, walks to the wall and starts punishing herself again. The nurse goes to stop her, but I restrain her gently.

"She sometimes does this at the end of her episodes. We think it's to try and get her memory back. If you get too close, she'll try and push you away." The nurse stands next to me, her eyes wide with shock and, as soon as Emma stops, runs over to her to help her back to bed. She has reopened her head wound again, and a couple of the scratches are dripping blood as well. A thought hits me.

"Is there anything you can give us to put on her head so that the wound doesn't reopen every time this happens?" She thinks for a moment.

"I can bandage it very tightly so that the bandages stop it opening, but that's not really ideal."

"That will be fine. Thank you."

Emma

When I come round from the anaesthetic, my head is throbbing again, but my arm feels much better. Everything is slightly less blurry and, when I focus, the double vision isn't quite as defined.

The nurse is re-stitching my head and she then bandages it with so many bandages that I'm surprised they have any left.

"What happened?" Regina gives the nurse a look that clearly says 'get out'. Once she's left, Regina sits by the bed and explains everything.

"I think Rumple was ordering you to do something near the end of your operation, because they said you started flailing around. Then, when you were coming round, you punished yourself again. I told the nurse you do that at the end of your episodes." I can't believe how well thought out Regina's story is. If I didn't believe in magic, I would believe this. It's fool proof.


	9. Chapter 9

Regina  
Emma gets her cast put on two days later and, by that point, her double vision has gone as well, so they discharge her. We spend quite a bit of time the morning before she is discharged discussing a new way to tie her up to allow her arm to stay in its sling. Eventually, we decide to tie her wrist to the opposite side of the headrest so that her arm sits diagonally across her body.   
We thank the hospital staff on our way out and make our way to Emma’s car which still stands out even outside of Storybrooke.   
With Emma tied in as safely as I could make it, we start our journey again, only stopping for a snack in Washington. Emma manages to eat with her left hand, and we quickly continue on our way.   
Thankfully, we make it through the rest of the journey without a hitch. We don’t really talk, as Emma is lost in her thoughts and I’m focused on driving.   
We head to the nearest town to the address Rumple gave us and find a hotel for the night.  
“Regina, what are we going to do about tying me down in the hotel?” Emma asks as we stand in the line to book a room. There’re only two people in front of us, so we lower our voices. I start formulating a reply, but she doesn’t give me a chance to suggest it. “I think we’re going to have to tie me down to the bed.” As uncomfortable as that will be for her, I agree, nodding my head to show her.   
“I think we’ll have to. As long as we leave the cuff on and tie you down tightly enough, you shouldn’t be able to do anything if you go dark.”

Emma  
Having arranged with Regina what we’re going to do, we collect our room key from the receptionist and make our way to our room. My arm is still sore, but the painkillers the hospital gave me are helping. Regina is carrying all of her stuff and mine, and I feel kind of bad, but I only have the use of one arm. I offered to carry my bag, but she insisted.   
We take it in turns to shower. While Regina is using the bathroom, I read through the guide sheet about how to take care of my arm while it’s in the cast. However much I want my arm to heal, most of it won’t be possible if we want to finish Gold’s mission quickly. Keeping it elevated as much as possible won’t be too bad, as long as we tie my arm in the right place. I won’t be able to use a sling if I want to use magic, as I can’t yet control my magic with just one hand. For the no strenuous activity, we’ll just have to see how it goes. Knowing my luck, I’ll probably end up lifting 10kg weights by next week.   
Regina emerges from the bathroom in clean clothes so I take my turn, ensuring my cast is completely covered by the special covering the hospital gave me. I also have to wear a weird shower cap thing, because the bandages around my head need to last as long as possible.   
Once I finish in the shower, I lay on the bed with my arm correctly positioned and Regina sets to work tying me up. We put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door as soon as we got the key, so no one should walk in on me like this.   
“Are you sure you want to do this? It looks very uncomfortable,” Regina asks for a final time, tying the last knot tightly and walking around to my other side.   
“I’m sure.”

Regina  
With Emma safely tied up on her bed, I get into mine. I don’t fall asleep straight away, instead choosing to relive the last few days in my head. I should’ve guessed that Dark Emma was going to try and sabotage us somehow. If I had, this might never have happened.   
But, then, maybe this was a good thing to happen. At least now, she has extra protection over her head, and it’s been properly treated. We also have a valid excuse for tying her up everywhere, as I assume the doctor made a note of her imaginary ‘episodes’.   
I look around the hotel room, marvelling at the cleanliness of it. After seeing the dirtier side of New York while looking for Lily, I didn’t have high hopes for the rest of America. Luckily, it’s quite nice. The bathroom is small, but the shower surfaces shine in the bright white light. In the main room, there are two double beds, which are each occupied by one of us. In the middle of the opposite wall is a giant television, under which is a counter. Emma has hung her sling on the coat hook on top of her leather jacket, which now has to rest over her right shoulder.   
I finally fall asleep, curled around myself to keep warm. 

Emma  
We run to the window and look out, watching in horror as a younger version of my mother is marched out to her death by two black knights. As they tie her arms above her head, Killian grabs my shoulder ready to comfort me.   
Regina—The Evil Queen—watches with a smile on her face, before summoning a fireball in her hand. I lay my head on Killian’s shoulder, covering my mouth with my hand.   
She throws it at the hay beneath Snow White and I hug Killian tighter, sobbing beneath my hand.   
Later, I sit with Killian by the fire, feeling numb with shock, reliving my own mother’s execution over and over again in my head. Tears pour down my face, dampening my dress, but I don’t notice them. Killian tries to comfort me by telling me about when his brother died, but my mind hears the words without listening. All I can see is the fire surrounding her, eating her alive.   
I wake up with sobs wracking my body. I’m trembling, but I can’t pull myself close, due to the fact I’m tied up. The image of the memory burns my eyelids, not even disappearing when I open my eyes.   
“Emma? Are you alright?” Regina’s voice cuts through the dark, pulling me out of the memory.   
“I’m fine,” I reply, still shaking. I know that the story ends happily, but I didn’t then. The memory felt so real, like it was happening all over again.   
“You’re not,” she counters. I hear the covers of her bed shift, and she pads over to my bedside. “What happened?” I give in, knowing that otherwise she’ll just stay there all night.   
“I had a flashback to when Killian and I went back in time. I had to watch my Mum die all over again. It felt so real, even though I know it was just a dream.” She puts her hand on my shoulder, guilt evident on her face in the light of the dying candle.   
“I’m sorry, Emma. But it’s OK to be scared. You watched your mother die. It’s understandable that you were upset. That you still are.” 

Regina  
After Emma’s flashback last night, I’m careful what I say around her. Since they changed the timeline, I remember the events that led to me ‘killing’ Snow, and the murders that followed when I realised that she wasn’t dead. I still remember the satisfaction I felt seeing my nemesis die, however much guilt I associate it with now.   
I help Emma tie her sling and put her jacket on. She looks slightly strange with one arm in her coat and the other with the coat draped around it. We decided yesterday that we’re not going to drive to find Pocahontas. It’ll be nice to walk for a change, and will give us a chance to talk, if Emma is comfortable with it.   
As it turns out from asking the receptionist, it’s about an hour’s walk to Pocahontas. Most of it is across fields and forest, but she said there is a path, even though it’s not man-made.   
We discuss many things on the walk, but Emma’s health and wellbeing never come up. Anytime we get anywhere near them, she shifts the conversation in another direction.   
“Emma. Are you okay?” She sighs.   
“My head hurts and my arm is useless right now, but otherwise I’m great. Thanks.”  
“No. Are you okay?” I emphasise the question and note her rolling eyes, but she does reply.   
“I think so. That’s the first time anything like that has happened. I just hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Emma  
Thankfully, we arrive at the camp before Regina can interrogate me anymore. It is situated in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees. We start making our way to the middle, but are quickly blocked by two spears clashing together from either side of us.   
In the shadows to my left stands a woman who is slightly taller than me but appears younger. She wears earthy colours, like beige and brown, and her dark hair flows over her shoulders. Her posture is confident and she holds the spear with poise.   
To Regina’s right stands another woman. She has a different style dress, although it’s in the same colours. Her features are sharper, and her hair is tied in a small ponytail behind her head rather than left down. She is slightly shorter, but holds herself up with the same confidence and poise.   
“Who are you?” The person on my left asks, ready to defend her home.   
“I am Emma Swan. I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.” Although most people haven’t heard of me, they’ve usually heard of my parents, so I make sure I mention them when I introduce myself. “We seek a woman named Pocahontas.” From the look on her face, I assume that this is her.   
“That’s me. What do you want?” 

Regina  
I’m slightly annoyed at Emma for not introducing me. I know that my name strikes fear in lots of people, but she could have at least acknowledged me. However, I don’t have time to dwell on it, as Emma’s put her foot in it already. We do seek Pocahontas, but only to introduce us to Grandmother Willow. What are going to tell them? An idea hits me, so I reply before Emma digs her hole even further.   
“We were told that you could introduce us to the wise Grandmother Willow. We seek her wisdom.” Part of it is true, at least. And, they seem to decide we’re not hostile, as they lower their weapons.   
“Come back tomorrow. I will introduce you to my father. He will decide if you are worthy.” We thank them and turning away, heading back to the town.   
Back at the hotel, we eat and then make the normal arrangements in our room.   
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I ask Emma, looking over at her from my bed. From this angle, she looks really uncomfortable, and I know she’s worried about having another nightmare.   
“I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me.”


	10. Chapter 10

Emma  
“They love me.” The glass of water on the table in front of Ingrid bubbles aggressively.   
“You can’t love somebody you don’t understand.” The rational part of my mind knows that Ingrid is baiting me, but most of me is consumed by rage. “And do you know what happens when people don’t understand something? They learn to fear it. And then they look at it like a monster.”  
“SHUT UP!” My hands slam on the table and I glare at the Snow Queen with a look of hatred. A blast of magic slams the wall to my left, sending bricks and debris flying. I step back, looking at my hands in fright, watching as they glow with magic.   
“What did you do to me?” I question, my heart beating in my chest. The Snow Queen stands up and the handcuffs around her wrists disappear.   
“All I did is show you who you really are.”   
“M-make it stop.” My hands glow brighter, this time red.   
“I can’t. It’s you, Emma and it’s beautiful.” She waves her arm and disappears in a blizzard, wind blowing out the gaping hole in the wall.   
I step through it and turn to survey the damage I’ve done from the outside.   
“What have I done?” I mutter to myself. Suddenly I hear the sound of multiple people running my way.   
“Emma!” Dad yells, running up to me. “Are you alright?”   
“We were so worried,” Mum adds, stopping next to him.   
“Wait!” I cry out, holding my hands out in front of me. Every so often, they flicker with magic.   
“Swan, what did that monster do to Sheriff’s station?” Killian asks, scanning his eyes over the damage.   
“The monster who did this was not the Snow Queen,” I reply, my voice shaking. “it was me.”   
“What?” Dad asks, confused. He starts approaching me, so I take a step back.   
“Just, keep your distance. I hold my hands in front of me once more. “I don’t know if I can control myself. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” I turn away and go to leave, but Killian chases after me, saying my name. He grabs my wrist and I turn in shock.   
“Let me go!” My arm flings out of his grip, and my magic blows the lights, knocking over a lamppost in the process. Killian is stood right in its path, but Dad pushes him out the way roughly. He almost manages to get out of the way as well, but the lamppost catches his shoulder and he collapses in pain.   
“David!” Mum cries out, worried. I run to the lamppost, which is now blocking Killian and I from everyone else. She walks up to him and helps him up. “Emma!” The tone in her voice scares me. She’s never raised her voice or got angry with me before. I walk backwards before turning and running to my bug, fear coursing through me. I throw myself into the driver’s seat and start the car quickly, not bothering with a seatbelt. I just need to get away. 

Regina  
“Emma.” I shake the shoulder of her uninjured arm, trying to wake her from her nightmare. She keeps muttering ‘stay away from me’ under her breath. “Emma, wake up. It’s only a dream.” She jolts awake, still muttering the same sentence over and over again. I take my hand off her shoulder, not sure if she’d want it there or not. When her eyes open fully, I position myself on the edge of the bed so she can see me.   
“Do you want to talk about it?” She nods her head gently and goes to sit up, before realising she can’t and relaxing back. I hurry to untie her so that she can comfort herself.   
“I had another nightmare-flashback-thing. This time it was to when I lost control of my magic and destroyed the Sheriff’s station. I injured my Dad and then Mum raised her voice with me, which she’d never done before. I never want her to again. It made me feel like I was 10 again and in the system. It took two days for me to calm down, as you know. I also injured Henry.” I nod my head, not saying anything. When it’s clear she’s finished, I do my best to soothe her.   
“But you have control of your magic now, and no permanent damage was done. Trust me, it could have been much worse.” She nods, burying her head in her knees and curling in on herself as best she can in her injured state.   
Suddenly, she looks up at me, fear evident in her eyes.   
“It’s happening,” she whispers, checking herself for the cuff. “Tie me down again.” I shake my head as I retie the knots, not knowing how much longer she can take this. I don’t know how much more of this I can take, and it’s not even happening to me.   
She closes her eyes, succumbing to the darkness. Her clothes change and her hair puts itself up around her bandages, lightening as it does so.   
She blinks her eyes open, and the fact that she doesn’t struggle or even complain shows just how exhausted and in pain she is. She just lays there. At one point, it looks like she’s going to say something but decides against it.   
After what feels like ages but is probably only half an hour, her eyes quiver shut, and she changes back to normal. 

Emma  
I open my eyes, surprised to find myself in exactly the same position. I notice Regina waiting for me to turn back to normal.   
“Did I do anything?” I ask, fairly sure I know the answer already. She shakes her head, confirming my suspicions. “Wow. That’s lucky.” She shakes her head and I notice tears gleaming in her eyes.   
“It’s not lucky. It shows just how exhausted and injured you are. The worst parts of you couldn’t be bothered, Emma. That can never be a good thing.” She sighs and relaxes against the mattress once more; which I take to mean she agrees with me. “Why don’t we spend this morning just relaxing? We told Pocahontas today, so it doesn’t matter if we go this morning or this afternoon.” I know she won’t take no for an answer, so I just agree.   
“Fine. Can you untie me?” She rushes to each bedpost, looking embarrassed that she didn’t do it sooner.   
As soon as she’s finishes, I ask her what she had in mind for this morning.   
“I was thinking something relaxing. We could stay here and just have the TV on in the background, or we can go window shopping or—I don’t know what you like to do.” I smile at that. Not many people do, and I like it that way.   
“It’d be nice to just stay here and relax. We can have the TV on if you want, or just talk,” I don’t really want to give away my secrets, but I’ve never really done much as a hobby.   
“Okay. Shall I get room service?” Regina asks. I’m surprised she knows what room service is. The only time she’s ever been out of Storybrooke was when we went to fins Lily, and that was only last week or something.   
“Sure. Get whatever you want. I’m not really hungry.”   
“You need to eat Emma.” I groan.   
“You’re not my mother.”   
“I may not be,” She replies, smirking. “but someone who is is only a phone call away.”   
“I’m not hungry, Regina. Do I have to spell it out?”

Regina  
I pick up my phone and call Snow to see if she can talk some sense into her daughter. She might not be hungry, but she needs her strength. She picks up almost immediately and I turn my back on the glare Emma shoots my way.   
“Regina. Is everything okay? How’s Emma?”   
“Everything’s fine. We’ve met Pocahontas and she’s introducing us to her father this afternoon. Emma’s arm is in a sling, and the hospital gave us really thick bandages for her head, so she’s healing. I rang because she says she isn’t hungry, but she needs to eat.” On the other end of the phone, I can almost hear Snow roll her eyes at her daughter’s childish behaviour.   
“Pass me over to her. She’ll listen to me.” I have to stifle a laugh at her certainty as I hand the phone over to Emma, almost feeling sorry for the talking-to she’s about to get.   
The buzzing that is Snow’s voice echoes around the room, and Emma’s face slowly loses its obstinate expression. The buzzing pauses and Emma sighs.   
“Fine. I’ll eat some pizza. But it won’t be very much. You’re not here. You can’t force feed me.” It’s progress, so I hold my hand out to Emma and she hands the phone back to me.   
“Wow. That’s progress, Snow.”   
“I know. Can you try and get her to eat as much as possible? Are you sure she’s okay apart from her injuries, though? She seems really out of it.” I sigh. Part of me wants to tell her about the flashbacks, but I know I should let Emma tell her that, so I just reassure her that everything’s fine and hang up.   
No sooner have I put the phone down than Emma speaks.   
“Thank you, Regina.” I am surprised to hear that there is no hint of sarcasm.   
“I just rang your mother, who is technically the same age as you, to convince you to at something against your will, and you’re thanking me?” She laughs.   
“No I’m still annoyed at you for that. But I heard what she asked you. And you didn’t tell her about the flashback-things. So thank you.”  
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly, lowering my eyes. “But you’re welcome.”


	11. Chapter 11

Emma  
We approach the Chief, bowing as we near him.   
“Great Powhatan,” I start. “We are honoured to meet you.” Once I finish speaking, we straighten up, and he smiles at us. We are stood in the middle of the largest building. Around us on benches sits every Powhatan who lives within a mile radius. In front of us sits the Chief, with Pocahontas on his left. She brought us in front of this gathering which, from our research this morning, is how everything is decided.   
“Why do you seek Grandmother Willow?” He gets straight to the point.   
“We seek her wisdom on a problem from Storybrooke, where we have travelled from,” Regina replies. We still haven’t introduced her, although I apologised for not doing it yesterday, she agreed for the best.   
“Why does the Saviour seek wisdom from an ancient Powhatan guide?” So he knows who I am. Great. I decide that part of the truth is the best way to go, and have a silent conversation with Regina, who I think agrees with me.   
“The Dark One was living in our town, but Merlin’s apprentice managed to get the darkness out of his heart. However, it escaped and started attacking Regina, so I tethered it to myself. We were told she might know how to get rid of it.”  
“So you are the Dark One, as well as the Saviour?” I nod my head in shame, wishing I could just disappear. I’ve always hated having the responsibility of being the Saviour, but having the reputation of being the Dark One is even worse.   
“I’m sorry.” 

Regina  
I listen to Emma apologise for being the Dark One and my heart goes out for her. Now she puts everyone she goes near in danger just by being there.   
The Chief tells his people what Emma has says, as not all of them learned English. They then discuss it in their language, which I don’t recognise.   
They finish discussing, and the Chief turns back to Emma.   
“We will allow you to meet Grandmother Willow, but you have to promise not to use magic.” He then turns to me. “And you must control her if anything happens.” I nod my head.   
“I will do so to the best of my ability. However, we don’t have the dagger, so I will not be able to completely.” He nods his head in acknowledgment and stands back for Pocahontas to come forward.   
“Come. Let’s go.” She leads us to a small boat and jumps in, steadying it for us.   
“Thank you,” I say, perching in the end. Emma sits on the other end and Pocahontas separates us, rowing.   
After a while, she rows through a waterfall of willow branches into a cove that I wouldn’t have noticed in passing. In the middle is a huge tree trunk. The roots form a small island in the water, which Pocahontas leads us to.   
As we near the tree trunk, what originally appeared to be a covered up hole morphs into something resembling a face and speaks.   
“Pocahontas. You’ve brought visitors.” 

Emma  
When the tree speaks, I freeze in shock for a moment. I’m not sure why. I’ve been around magic for a good few years now, but a talking tree? Really? Pocahontas introduces us to Grandmother Willow. She finishes explaining our mission (or what she knows of it) the tree turns to us as much as a tree can.   
“That’s not all, though, is it?” This reminds me of when I went back in time with Hook and the Blue Fairy knew that my name was not Leia.   
“Pocahontas, can you wait outside?” Her eyes widen, but Grandmother Willow replies before Pocahontas can.   
“No. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to Pocahontas as well.” I exchange a look with Regina and try to put my thoughts into it. We’ve come this far. We may as well tell her.   
“We didn’t only come for your wisdom. The previous Dark One stole my dagger from us and ordered me to come. He told me to bring back as much of your bark as I can. I’m really sorry.” My voice breaks. I curse myself for losing control of my emotions as tears leak from my eyes. I knead my eyes with my knuckles aggressively, needing to stop them before I lose control completely.   
Regina grabs my shoulder but I shake her away. I don’t need her pity. I can feel Pocahontas’ eyes burning into me as she watches intrigued, not really sure what to do. 

Regina  
I watch as Emma breaks down, not sure what I’m feeling. Part of me is surprised that she’s let down her walls, part of me feels sympathy for her and part of me, the part I’ve tried to bury and fight for so long, tells me she deserves it. I reach for her shoulder but she pushes me away.   
She finally stops and apologises for losing control.   
“You’re only human.” The talking tree comforts her. “Now, how much of my bark is ‘as much as you can get’?” Pocahontas’ eyes widen in shock, and I am inclined to agree with her reaction.   
“You’re just going to give it to them? It’s really valuable, Grandmother Willow.” She says. Clearly there’s something Rumple hasn’t told us about this bark, but now is not the time to find it out.   
“Perhaps. But, if we can help Emma retrieve her dagger and gain control of herself again, surely that is better?” Pocahontas nods, but I notice Emma look at the tree in surprise.   
“You’re the first person not in my family to call me Emma, not the Saviour.” The tree chuckles.   
“Being a Saviour does not define you. Neither does being the Dark One. Your voluntary actions and choices do. And they are associated with your name. You are not an object; you are a person. Remember that.” She closes what I guess are her eyes and the face disappears, leaving the blank trunk once more.   
Before any of us can do anything, however, a layer of bark falls to the ground from the side of the trunk. Emma grabs it thankfully and turns to Pocahontas.   
“Again, I’m really sorry.” 

Emma  
I thank Pocahontas profusely for not blaming me, even though I blame myself. Grandmother Willow’s advice sticks in my head but the actions of the Dark Swan are still me. She rows us back to her village and takes us to her father, who this time talks to us on his own. He seems to realise from my tear-stained cheeks that something happened and, like his daughter, does not blame me for holding back all of the truth.   
That evening, he holds a feast in our honour. He doesn’t tell everyone about our mission, which I will forever be thankful for.   
We thank everyone profusely before bidding goodbye and heading back to the hotel for the night.   
On the way, we discuss the strange turn of events, avoiding my breakdown in front of Grandmother Willow. We talk about her advice, but I can’t talk about what happened just yet. 

Regina  
As Emma and I talk, she seems to get more and more closed off.  
“Are you ready to talk about what happened?” I ask, not turning to look at her. She’ll probably be more comfortable if she can pretend that she’s talking to empty air.   
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m—” Her sentence cuts off, so I turn just in time to see her disappear in a cloud of gold smoke, dressed all in black. I check my inside pocket worriedly and curse when I find the cuff. We must have forgotten to put it on her. Guessing she’s gone back to the village, I turn and run as fast as I can, cursing myself for my fashion choices. I might look great, but running through a forest in six inch heels is not easy.   
I arrive in time to see the whole village aflame. Everyone is stood in the trees, talking among themselves. Somehow, the fire has been confined to the village and has not spread to the forest. In the middle of the inferno, on her knees with her head in her hands, is Emma. She is back to normal, and shows no sign of urgency, succumbing to the flames. I run in and grab her, pulling her out and turning on her.   
“What were you doing just sat there? Could you not stop it?” As soon as I shout, I regret it. Her eyes widen and she turns and runs for the town, disappearing into the dark before I can even start after her.   
Knowing she needs to calm down, and that she won’t go very far, I set about putting the fire out. I yell to Pocahontas, not knowing who else understands me, and we fill the boat in the river with water, chucking it over the blaze.   
A few boat-fuls of water later and the fire is out. Pocahontas and her friends thank me, but I only apologise quickly and run to find Emma.


	12. Chapter 12

Emma  
I run for the hotel, where I get in my bug and start the engine. I turn it off again when I realise that all of my stuff is still in our hotel room, and Regina has the key. Lost in thought, I wait for her to come back, dreading what she’ll say. She’ll think I did it as me. She’s already angry at me. She shouted at me, reminding me of one of my worst foster homes.   
She appears at the edge of the forest, running towards me. She looks a sight running in her heels, but I can’t laugh. She gets the to car and I lower the window, before she punches it in.   
“Emma, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you,” As much as my instinct is to not trust her, I do. She sounds so sincere, and my superpower tells me she’s not lying.   
“I’m a danger to everyone around me. You should have just let me burn,” I reply, fearful in case I do something worse. She sticks her hand through the window and opens it, and I sigh when I see what she’s holding. I grab the cuff and fasten it around my wrist quickly, so that I can’t get away quickly if I turn dark again. “I torched their entire village, which is the only home they’ve ever known. What kind of person does that?” She reaches out as if to comfort me, but thinks better of it and just replies.   
“You didn’t have a choice, Emma. It wasn’t you.” Not this argument again. There’s only so long it can last.   
“I should have been able to resist the darkness. I should have at least tried,” I cry, turning my face away from her. This is the second time I’ve cried in front of her today. What has gotten into me?  
“Emma.” The tone of her voice brings me back to reality, and I pay attention to what she says. “You have a head wound that you’ve reopened twice, you are being controlled by a Dark wizard, you have just recovered from concussion and you only have the use of one arm. Your body can only do so many things at once. Had you been one hundred percent healthy, I’m almost certain you could’ve fought the darkness, but you weren’t. Nobody blames you for this. Pocahontas and her father told me to tell you that they know it’s not your fault.” At her last sentence, I fling the door open and jump up, jarring my arm and crying out in pain.   
“I have to go and apologise. What must they think of me? I just ran away.” I run back into the forest, back towards the consequences of my actions and away from Regina, from my previous habit of running away from everything. 

Regina  
I stare after Emma, knowing that there is nothing to do but wait until she comes back. An idea hits me, and I reach for my phone, dialling the number that I know so well from checking on Henry every week.   
“Regina?” He answers the phone quickly.  
“Archie? I need your help.”   
“What’s wrong, Regina?” I can hear the surprise in his voice and, knowing what conclusion he’s jumped to, quickly correct him.   
“Not me. Emma. She’s worn out. Can you come down here and talk to her? I’ll fill you in on the details when you arrive.”  
“Sure. I’ll fly. Give me two hours.” He hangs up the phone and I make my way up to the hotel room, happy I’ve helped my friend but dreading her reaction. 

Emma  
Having apologised to Pocahontas and her father and calmed myself down, I head back to the hotel to face Regina. I still feel terrible, but I’m not a mess anymore.   
I have to knock on the door of our hotel room, since Regina still has the sole key. She answers the door and I walk in.   
“What have you been doing while I was apologising?” I ask, genuinely curious. She’s had to kill a good couple of hours, and it doesn’t look like she’s left.   
Before she can reply, however, there’s a knock at the door.   
“Are you expecting anyone?” I ask, knowing that not many people know we’re here. She nods her head and I’m surprised to see guilt on her face. I wonder why, but my question is answered when she opens the door and Archie walks in.   
“You didn’t,” I say in horror, even though I know that she did. Otherwise he wouldn’t be here. Archie comes in awkwardly after Regina opens the door fully and she gestures to him to sit on the bed.   
“So, Emma. How are you?” He asks, as if he actually cares. The rational part of me knows he does a bit, although obviously not as much as my family and friends, but the main part of me, the part that’s now really pissed at Regina, doesn’t care. I put up the easiest wall to put up deciding to put the others up as I go. I wrap my leather jacket around my arms as I start speaking.   
“Well, my arm is nearly better, since it’s healing with magic. My head is still healing, since something is preventing it from healing with magic, so I pretty much have a constant headache. Otherwise, I’m great.” From the corner of my eye, I see Regina rolling her eyes in the background, but Archie is undeterred.   
“Emma, I only want to help you. Is there anything you want to talk about?” I decide to satisfy him partly, and avoid the events of tonight at all costs.   
“I’ve had a couple of flashback-nightmare-thingies. They felt really real, and Regina had to wake me the second time.” He nods, his glasses bobbing on his nose, and jots something down in a notebook that he produced from somewhere.   
Before he can ask me anything else, a thought hits me and I turn to Regina.   
“You need to tie me down. I have my cuff but what if it happens like last time and there’s no warning?” Archie looks at Regina, who has obviously caught him up on everything. 

Regina  
I sigh, going through the motions of tying Emma down which by this point I can almost do on muscle memory alone.   
I did mention to Archie everything that happened, and also my worry about how much longer she can take this. She is not living at the moment; she’s only just surviving.   
At some point while I was knotting the ropes, she must have fallen asleep, as she starts crying, tears pouring down her face. Archie looks at me in concern, but for a minute, my brain stops working. Dark Emma has never shown her feelings before.   
“Is this one of her ‘flashback-nightmare-thingies’?” I nod my head and shake Emma’s shoulder, doing my best to wake her. She starts muttering again, but I can’t make out what she’s saying.   
When she finally wakes up, her clothes are back to normal, but her t-shirt is soaked through from her tears and she looks around in a panic before realising she’s back in reality. Her cast has cracked from her struggling, so I make a mental note to get it looked at again. I send Archie to the door for a minute while I calm her down.   
“What was it this time, Emma?” She shakes her head, still crying, pressing her lips together tightly. I sigh. “Nobody can help you unless you talk to them.”   
“Neal’s death.” She murmurs, her voice barely reaching my ears. “Can you send him away now?” I look at Archie and back to Emma, considering her request. She’s not going to be comfortable until he leaves so, however much it pains me to send away her chance at accepting herself, I get up and talk to him.   
“I’ll see if Snow can get her to talk to you when we get back. We shouldn’t be far behind you.” He agrees reluctantly and leaves. I feel kind of bad about the flight that he wasted, but it can’t be helped. “Sorry,” I say to his retreating back. He turns back and shakes his head before disappearing around the corner. 

Emma  
Regina unties me once Archie is gone. As soon as she’s done, I sit up against the headboard, curl up and ignore her. She should know by now that I don’t talk to human crickets. Especially not Archie.   
“Emma,” She says gently. She perches on the end of the bed, shifting the mattress slightly. “I’m sorry. I thought he could help, but I was wrong.” Yes, you were, I think, but I don’t say anything. Seeing that she won’t get anything out of me, she changes the subject.   
“We need to get packed, because we’ve done what we came for. We can go home, and you can take time to heal properly.” I lift my head up, eyes brightening. I can see Killian and Henry again. And Mum and Dad. But the excitement leaves as quickly as it arrived.   
“I can’t. I’m a danger to everyone.” She sighs, trying and failing to mask the pity in her eyes. I don’t need her pity.   
“We can sort it. We can get the dagger back and find a way to get rid of the darkness.” I nod my head, agreeing with her outwardly. Inside, all I can think is that getting rid of the darkness won’t get rid of what I’ve already done. Nothing can do that. I’m never time-travelling again.   
“Okay.” Trying not to jog my arm now that the cast has cracked, I start throwing my limited possessions back into my bag. Just because it’s nearly healed, doesn’t mean I can’t delay it.   
Regina does hers in half the time it takes me, so makes sure the room is as clean as we found it.   
We check out at reception and put our things in the back of my car. Regina goes to get into the passenger seat, so I stop her with a look.   
“Are you crazy? I can’t drive tied up, or with a broken arm.” I don’t know who she thinks I am but, Saviour and Dark One or not, I can’t drive without the use of my arms.  
“I’m not tying you up,” She states, like that simple action wouldn’t put the whole country in danger.   
“Are you out of your mind?” I try my best not to raise my voice, not wanting to make a scene. “You have to. I could wipe the country off the earth with a wave of my hand. We have no choice.”  
“Fine.” She grabs the ropes from the boot and I sit in the passenger seat, trying to get into a comfortable position that’s still easy for her to tie me in.


	13. Chapter 13

Regina  
Since we left in the early hours of the morning, we decide to drive straight through the fourteen hours, only stopping for snacks and toilet breaks in twenty four hour service stations. As we near the coffee shop where I left my car, I turn to Emma.   
“What are we going to do about getting both cars back? You’ll have to drive the last five minutes. You did only go dark last night.” By this point, it’s mid-afternoon. “Surely it won’t happen again that quickly?” She leans her head back against the headrest, thinking, before sitting back up again.   
“Fine. But if anything happens, don’t compromise the scroll to save me. You have to get back.” She always has some kind of condition before she agrees with anyone. She’s too stubborn.   
“Okay,” I agree, focusing back on the road in front of me. Another car accident is the last thing we need.   
I pull into the car park and untie Emma, briefing her on the plan once more.   
“You drive over the line with the scroll, then throw it back to me. You’ll still be able to see me, but I won’t be able to see you until I have the scroll.” She nods her head and switches sides in the car, checking for the scroll before we set off.   
When we arrive at the town line, the only evidence of Storybrooke I can see, Emma drives on, disappearing through the barrier. I wait for a while and start thinking that she’s not coming back for me, but soon the scroll comes flying towards me.   
As soon as I grab it, I can see her stood there with her parents, Killian, Henry and Robin. I drive over quickly and fling the door open and run and hug Robin, pulling Henry close as well. 

Emma  
Since we haven’t slept in over fourteen hours, my parents insist that I sleep as soon as we get back. Mum insists on staying and talking with Killian to make sure I’m okay, and Robin and Henry take Regina back to her house. Dad has to go and man the Sheriff Station, but he says he’ll come see me when I’m rested. I forget about my arm, and the bandages round my head, although I thought they’d be uncomfortable, actually just act as a bigger pillow.   
I dump my stuff just inside the door, relishing the knowledge that my Mum and boyfriend are just behind me. I’d never admit it, but I’ve missed them. I leave my boots with my stuff and Killian comes upstairs with me. My clothes end up in a heap on the floor and I get into bed, thankful that it’s mine and I’m not in some tacky hotel.   
My final thought before I fall asleep is that I feel safe, with my family watching over me. 

Regina  
Robin and Henry take me back to my house and tell me to sleep, but I can’t. I have to talk to Emma, and I probably won’t be able to sleep until I do. I need to apologise again, and we need a plan to get the dagger back while Emma gives Rumple the tree bark, so that we’re ready in case he calls her.   
I head over to Emma’s house and knock quietly on the door, in case she’s resting. Snow answers and puts a finger to her lips, confirming my suspicions.   
“How is she?” I ask, wondering if anything has happened in her sleep.   
“She seems peaceful,” She replies. I try my best not to scoff. After everything she’s been through, peaceful is not a word I’d use to describe her, even in sleep.   
Snow doesn’t notice, however, and leads me to the living room to wait for Emma to wake up. The One-handed Wonder is in the bedroom, according to Snow. She says that he’s just watching her sleep, making up for the missed week or two. 

Emma  
I turn sharply and stand behind Killian as Lily rounds the corner, closely followed by my parents—no, Evil Snow White and Prince Charming—these are not my parents.   
“There they are,” Lily says, stopping as she sees us. “It’s as I told you my Queen, the one-handed pirate was helping them.” Why did I have to bring Killian into this? I can’t let him get hurt. “And the boy was with them as well.” At least Henry isn’t here. He’s off getting us some food. I hope he doesn’t come back until we’ve sorted this out.   
“Tell us where the child’s hiding!” Leroy, or the version of him as a black knight, steps forward and disarms Killian with one swipe of his sword.   
“Hey! Back off, dwarf!” I yell, pushing him away from my boyfriend. He may not remember me, but that doesn’t make any difference to me. “Or they’ll change your name to ‘stumpy’.” My insult is not the greatest, but in the heat of the moment it’s the best I can come up with.   
“I know you.” I look up in surprise as Evil Mum addresses me. “You’re… Emma, the mad hag who was locked in the tower. I almost didn’t recognise you out of your chains.”   
“You’re the one who’s hard to recognise.” I decide to try and get through to her. It could be my death sentence but, if Henry manages to restore the normal world, it won’t matter anyway. “Both of you. This isn’t who you are.”  
“Tell me. Who are we?”   
“You're my parents. I'm the product of your true love.” I hear Killian pick up his weapon behind me, and just hope he holds off long enough to give me a shot. “You taught me how to be a hero, you taught me how to believe in hope. And I do. And now I need you to believe in it, too.”  
“You’re right, Emma, hope is a very powerful thing.” Speaking of, hope rises inside me, hope that it worked, that they can help us escape this terrible mess. “Which is why I’m going to snuff it out of you and that awful son of yours.” It disappears quicker than it appeared. “Kill them,” She orders her guards, but Evil Dad holds them off.   
“Wait!” He points behind Killian and I and we turn. I curse as I see Henry coming into view. “There he is.”  
“My, my. I am going to enjoy watching him die in front of his mother.”   
“Save Henry,” Hook murmurs in my ear, preparing to attack them. As nice as the gesture is, this version of him only picked up a sword five minutes ago.   
“Killian, you can’t beat them.” I say back, keeping alert as the guards and Dad draw their swords.   
“If I can help return things to how they were meant to be, then what happens to me here won't matter, will it? Now go. Save your boy.” I look up at him as I realise what he’s saying. He’s going to sacrifice himself for us. I run towards Henry and away from the fight and hear Killian kick down one of the supports next to him. The following crash takes out all of the guards as I turn and watch, leaving just my parents.   
“Is she worth your life, pirate?” Dad asks, pointing his sword at him ready to attack.   
“I’m willing to find out.” Dad swings at Hook first and Hook groans but still manages to block the swipe with his sword. The following sword fight doesn’t last very long, and I stand with Henry, frozen in shock as Hook actually wins, disarming Dad and knocking him to the ground. He holds Dad at sword point and I can just imagine the look of surprise on his face.   
“What do you know? I’m a natural.” Mum approaches him, and the tip of his sword follows her as she walks to his back and he turns with her.   
“Hey! What about you, your majesty? Shall I make quick work—” He groans as his sentence is cut off by Dad stabbing him in the back.   
“No!” 

Regina  
I hear Emma screaming and run to her room, but Snow and Guyliner are already there. Snow is shaking her awake and hugging her close, and I cringe at how much Emma will hate that.   
“No, stop. She won’t feel safe if you hug her. She’ll just feel trapped. You have to be gentle. Watch.” I wake her up by gently shaking her awake, and just sit next to her while she comforts herself. She continues shaking, so I sit next to her until she calms down enough to speak.   
“Are you okay, Emma?” She nods her head, not wanting to talk about it. She does speak eventually, after about five minutes.   
“I had another flashback-thingy. When Isaac inverted everyone in his weird alternate universe, do remember I told you I’d just watched the man I loved die?” I nod my head, trying to sort out all of the different universes and timelines. “Well, Dad stabbed Hook. I know it wasn’t actually Hook, and he’s fine now I didn’t know that then and, like I told you before, it’s like it was happening all over again.” Now that she seems to have calmed down enough, I step back and let Snow and Guyliner take the reins. They are, after all, her mother and boyfriend. I’m just her friend. 

Emma  
I tell Mum and Killian that I’ll meet them downstairs soon, and Regina follows them. I sit up and grab my wrist, trying to stop the shaking. It’s probably related to the flashbacks, but I don’t want anyone to know. They’ll just all panic and tell me to talk to the cricket—or force me if they’re feeling really concerned.   
Once it’s become so slight that even I barely notice it, I throw a jumper of my head and tug on some jeans.   
Making my way downstairs, I chuck my hair into a rough ponytail to keep it out of my face. At least if I show them that I care, they might not be so worried.   
“Emma! How are you, love?” Killian asks as soon as I appear in the doorway.   
“I’m fine.” He rolls his eyes but, before we can get any further, there’s a knock on the door. I hurry to open it, and my face fails to mask my confusion when I see Leroy.   
“We were down by the town line when we saw some people—an army. They’re attacking.”


	14. Chapter 14

Regina  
I stand up as soon as the words leave Grumpy’s mouth. I had my suspicions when we left, but getting back to Storybrooke was more important.   
Emma has already grabbed her gun and is halfway out the door before I even have my shoes on.   
“Emma, wait. We’ve only just returned from Virginia and you are still the dark one. Do you have the cuff?” She pulls back her sleeve to show me and I smile. However, given the fact that we may have to fight them, I suggest that she doesn’t wear it unless she starts becoming the Dark One. She should just keep it in her pocket or something.   
I tell her as much and she sighs, shakes her head but holds out her wrist out to me to take off the cuff. I unfasten it and hand it to her and she quickly shoves it in her pocket.   
“Thanks.” She hurries out the door and minutes later I hear the slamming door of her bug. I choose my preferred method of travel and wave my hand, disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.   
I reappear at the end of the road leading to the town line and recoil at the army I see before me. There must be at least a hundred people, which means that all of Pocahontas’ friends who now hate Emma gathered their friends as well.   
I turn as I hear the sound of a car engine behind me and Emma pulls up.   
“Shit,” She says as she opens the car door, shutting it behind her. “What have I done?” I sigh and turn around to talk to her properly.   
“This was not you. Yes, your dark whatever-you-want-to-call-it destroyed their village, but they knew the story behind it. They’re choosing to attack even though you’re suffering probably more than they are. This is their fault, not yours.”

Emma  
I hear Regina’s voice without really listening to it. I’ve heard that lecture too many times and don’t need to hear it again, especially right before a battle. I turn to Dad, who has just turned up with everyone he could in a group that could loosely be called an army, It’s not even half the size of theirs.   
“Was that everyone we could get?” He nods, clearly thinking the same thing as me. We don’t have a chance. I lead our army up the road until we stop, facing theirs.   
“This is her!” Their leader shouts, facing his army. “She destroyed our village. She will destroy more if we don’t stop her.” He turns back around to face us. “Give us the Dark One, and we will leave. No one will get hurt.” The equivalent of my face dropping happens inside my head and I look at Dad.   
“That’s simple.” I lower my hands, which I had raised ready to attack with magic, but Dad grabs my arm and pulls me back.   
“No. Absolutely not. We’ll fight. I’m not letting my daughter just give herself up to die.” I try and wrestle my arm from his grip, but it’s too strong.   
“Let me go. If I don’t go, the entire town could be destroyed. Everyone could die.” I go to continue but Dad cuts me off.   
“But if you do go, you will definitely die. We’ll figure it out.” I sigh, knowing he’s not going to let me go anywhere. “You’re also injured.” I took my own cast off last night, knowing the hospital wouldn’t. Everyone disapproved but I’m fairly sure it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.   
“I’m not injured. But fine. We fight.” Just as I utter the last words, their leader gives the signal, and a volley of arrows hurtles into our crappy army, pushing everyone apart further.   
I turn and, without thinking, fire a blast of magic into the centre of their army. They seem to take this as a good sign to fully unleash their strength on us. I see Killian to my right engaged in hand to hand combat, sword against spear. The guy with the spear won’t last very long since, if Killian hits it at the right angle, it’ll just cut straight in half. To my left, Mum fires arrow after arrow at their archers but I have no more time to pay attention to everyone else.   
Their leader appears through the throng and stabs at me with his spear. He must get special privileges, as he also has a bow and a quiver of arrows. I unsheathe the sword from my side, deciding not to rely on my magic for help. My gun sits in its holster on my hip but I don’t want to kill anyone unless I have to. 

Regina  
I conjure fireball after fireball, shooting them in all directions. I try to focus on hitting the weapons rather than the people. I don’t want to be reminded of my days as the Evil Queen.   
I try to block out the noises of the battle around me, focusing on my magic and my targets. Cries of pain echo through my head, a clear sign that I failed. Our depleting army seems to be making more noise than them, but less permanent damage. Killian cries out on my left and I turn quickly to see what happened. He grabs his shoulder in pain, but lets go almost immediately and keeps fighting.   
A sickening crack draws my attention to behind me and I spin around, just in time to see Emma collapse, holding her arm in agony. In that split second, I wonder where her cast has gone and jump to the conclusion that she took it off herself. The idiot. As I’m not fighting anyone in particular at the moment, I rush over to her and nearly drag her to the edge of the forest, away from the fighting.   
“Let go of me, Regina. I can still fight.” I notice that she doesn’t try to convince me she’s fine, as she’s so clearly not.   
“No. We’ll live. You need to stay here and make sure you don’t injure yourself further. You’ve been injured in your side as well,” I point out, noticing it for the first time. She sighs, giving in, and leans back against a tree, trying to mask the agony on her face. I check quickly to see the progress of the fight and, as we somehow seem to be winning, I transport her directly to the hospital. Surprisingly, the bandage around her head remains, and only the end that stick out are battered.   
In the ER, the doctors take one look at Emma and send her through to a bed. They have her medical records so know the non-magic version of what happened on the way to Virginia.   
“Emma Swan?” A woman with long brown hair tied up in a bun stands in the door, her white lab coat giving her a look of authority that only doctors have. She smiles and walks over, pushing the bed through the door. I stay where I am, not sure if Emma wants me there.   
“I’ll wait here,” I say, just confirming my actions. She nods, the agony still written on her face.

Emma  
“I’m Doctor Cameron.” The doctor introduces herself and I do my best to smile in greeting without grimacing. The pain in my arm is at least ten times what it was the first time I broke it, and my side is starting to get sore as well. In the back of mind is also the thought that Gold could summon me at any time and make me do whatever he wants. Or I could go Dark.   
Since everyone in Storybrooke knows about magic, I tell the doctor everything, fastening the cuff around my wrist as I do so. I won’t be able to heal as quickly, but I also won’t be able to hurt anyone with my magic.   
She nods her head, reading what I assume is my medical file.   
“So, you were in a car accident and broke your arm; you’ve had a head injury for a while that you keep reopening because someone has your dagger and is ordering you to; and you seem to have been shot in the abdomen.” I nod my head, trying to ignore the pain in my side which has now overtaken my arm. “At least you haven’t reopened your head wound. The nurses seem to have done a good job with that.” I smile again, but it quickly turns to a grimace.   
“Do you know how the fighting is going?” She shakes her head and carries on checking me over for anymore injuries.   
“I’m sorry, no. Why don’t you ask your friend? I can get her in here.” I agree, ready to send Regina back to help. Our ‘army’ needs all the help it can get. She calls Regina in, then faces me again.   
“You won’t have very long, I’m afraid. You’ll need more surgery on your arm and stitches in your side.”   
“Thank you,” I reply. Most doctors would just treat me and leave, but she seems really nice.   
Just then, Regina comes in, and I fill her in as much as I can on my medical status, with Doctor Cameron adding bits here and there.   
“You need to go back. They need you.” She sighs, knowing that I’m right and wishes me luck before disappearing in purple smoke. 

Regina  
I appear back at the town line just as the fight comes to an end. What’s left of the Powhatan army is retreating, so I start looking for the wounded. Most people only have a few scrapes, but Guyliner seems to be in more pain than he should be based on his injury. I check him over without invading his privacy, and all I can find is a scratch on his arm from an arrow.   
I decide to take him to the hospital as well. They weren’t very busy, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. I only drop him off, however, as I don’t know anything useful that could help the doctors.   
I hurry to the front desk to ask after Emma, and they point me in the right direction. Apparently, she’s just being prepped for surgery. I want to tell her the result of the battle.   
I burst through the door, probably being way too aggressive for a hospital and she stares at me in surprise.   
“Regina, what are you doing back here?”   
“I was just dropping Guyliner off,” I reply, not thinking about what I’m saying. “We won!” Her face drops in worry, and I realise what I’ve said.   
“Is Killian okay?” She asks, panic mixing with pain on her face. I was told she was on morphine, but that can’t take away the pain completely.   
“He’s fine; he’s just scratched. I thought he should get checked out because he seemed to be in much more pain than he should.” Before Emma gets the chance to reply, I am removed from the room, and she is sedated, ready for her surgery.


	15. Chapter 15

Emma  
I come to in a sterile room coated in white paint. I’ve always hated how bright and cheerful hospital décor is; people die here. I have an IV drip in my arm, presumably with some kind of pain-killer. Otherwise I’d be sore everywhere.   
Doctor Cameron comes in the door and smiles when she sees I’m awake.   
“How are you?” She asks, putting her clipboard on a shelf near the door. “Do you mind if I check you over?” I shake my head, so she comes to the bed to check my arm and side.   
“I’m fine. Thank you,” I reply as she moves to my head. “My head’s not injured anymore. It’s fine.” She shakes her head, the smile still plastered on her face starting to annoy me.   
“Let me check.” She unravels the many bandages and tries to hide her gasp at the damage underneath. As I’ve never actually seen it, I don’t know what she’s so horrified by, so I ask her for a mirror. “I’ll get one for you in a minute.” She runs her finger gently over the scratches on my face and I flinch, not used to the gentle touch. “It’s fine,” She reassures me, jotting something down on her clipboard. “I’ll go get that mirror.” She leaves and shuts the door behind her.   
Moments later, Mum comes in, her face pale and drawn.   
“What’s wrong?” I ask, dreading the answer but needing to know.   
“It can’t be enough that my daughter has just come out of surgery?” I roll my eyes; she’s hiding something.   
“What’s wrong?” I ask again, emphasising the question more. She sighs and perches on the end of the bed, grabbing my hand in hers.   
“Hook got poisoned in the battle. The arrows they had were coated in ground down amanita phalloides. They’re a type of poisonous mushroom. They wouldn’t have known for about another week if Regina hadn’t noticed anything.” I try to pull my uninjured hand up to cover my mouth, but the IV line restrains me. A sob escapes me, betraying my feelings.   
“How long does he have?” She puts her arm around me, rocking me.   
“Two weeks at best.” I smother my face in her shoulder, hiding my face which is slowly flooding with tears. “The doctors are doing their best. Somehow, no one else got hit.” 

Regina  
I sit in the Charmings’ Loft at the table next to David, imagining Emma’s reaction to the news about Hook. Snow said she was going to tell her when she woke up, and her operation was a while ago.   
The ringtone of David’s phone echoes through the apartment and he rushes to pick it up. As he does, he mouths ‘Hook’ at me and turns away. I try my best to ignore the conversation and decide to visit him and Emma in the hospital. As soon as I go to grab my jacket, however, David spins and shakes his head at me, pointing back at the table. A look of confusion crosses my face and he gives me a look that I think wants to say ‘I’ll tell you in a minute’ but I can’t quite tell.   
I hang my jacket back up by the door and sit back at the table. Minutes later, David comes off the phone and approaches, sitting down opposite me.   
“He wants to find a way to take the darkness from Emma without killing her so that when he dies it just goes away.” My eyes widen in shock and my brain goes into hyperdrive to think of ways that could be possible.   
“Is it even possible?” David asks, interrupting my thinking.   
“The Apprentice did it for Gold,” I counter, thinking back to when Emma took the darkness. “Who’s to say it can’t be done again?” He nods his head, then shakes it.   
“Why did I not think of that? Can you do it? The Apprentice isn’t exactly in a great state to do it.” I raise my eyebrows. I think he’s missing the most obvious point.   
“You think Emma will agree to this?” I ask, dumbfounded by the fact that he thought the ‘how’ is more important than the consent of Emma. He shakes his head and laughs.   
“Of course she won’t. We’ll have to convince her somehow.” 

Emma  
I don’t really register the passing of time. I ask Doctor Cameron to keep me informed on any changes with Killian, and I keep a tally of the days in permanent marker on my arm. I want to go and see Killian but apparently, I’m not ready. I keep trying to sneak in, but always end up getting caught by a nurse, who takes me back to my room. They tried to tie me up, but none of them are as scrupulous as Regina when it comes to tying knots.   
“How is he?” I mumble groggily as I hear the door open. I’m led on my side with my back to it, so don’t see who comes in.   
“He hasn’t gotten any worse. I’m more concerned with how you’re doing.” I recognise the voice of Doctor Cameron, who’s pretty much been my only visitor because everyone else is trying to save Killian. I don’t know where she is until the mattress shifts under her weight. “You’re depressed.” I roll my eyes at the obvious statement.   
“My boyfriend is dying; he has the maximum of a week left. Of course I’m depressed.” She shakes her head, smiling sadly.   
“I know how you feel,” She says, holding my hand. That one sentence sends me over the edge. I turn back around and sit up, flicking my hair out of my face.   
“No, you don’t. I had an average life until Henry found me. It was amazing. Except then I nearly killed my son; got transported to some other realm; came back, my son got kidnapped; I went to Neverland to save him; my first love died in my arms; I travelled back in time and watched my mother die at the hands of my best friend; I nearly froze to death in an ice cave; I lost control of my powers and nearly killed my father; I got transported to some alternate universe and watched my boyfriend die; I became the Dark One and now my boyfriend is dying and I can’t even see him.” Her eyes betray her shock even though she has the rets og her face under control.   
“Okay, maybe not all of that,” she concedes, letting go of my hand, “but I married my first husband just after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died six months later.” My eyes widen as hers water, tears threatening to pour down her face.   
“You knew he was dying, but you still married him?” I ask. It might be insensitive, but I need to know. She nods in response and a couple of tears leak out, wetting her face. “I’m sorry,” I say, grabbing her hand back in mine. I feel terrible about my outburst now, but I can’t take it back.   
“No, it’s fine.” She composes herself and starts her routine checks. She must be getting bored of these by now; she does them at least four times a day. “I shouldn’t have burdened you with my problems. You’re dealing with enough already.” For some reason, I relate to this woman. We may be very different, but something draws me to her. 

Regina  
I hurry with David to the hospital, where they let us in to visit Emma. Her face is tear-stained and so was the doctor’s when she left just as we came in, so I assume they had some deep conversation.   
“How are you?” I ask, part of me dreading the answer. She goes to reply, but a worried look sets in on her and she looks up at me.   
“It’s happening. Get us to your vault.” My eyes nearly fly out of my head and hit the wall.   
“I can’t move you. You’ve just had an operation and your boyfriend is dying. You need medical care, not to be locked up for gods know how long.” She sighs and starts getting up, pulling out her IV drip and untying her binds in seconds.   
“Take me.” She’s obviously not going to back down, so I call for Doctor Cameron. I fill her in before she’s even in the door and she sighs before flicking through the notes on her clipboard.   
“Can you take her in the bed?” She asks, putting Emma’s IV back in.   
“I can try but, once she goes Dark, she may well just tear it all out and completely mess her recovery up anyway. Her Dark side doesn’t care about her health.” She sighs and writes something down on the top sheet of paper before looking back up at me.   
“Try it anyway.” I wave my arm and Emma and I reappear just outside the cage. Seeing her fall unconscious, I quickly push the bed into the cage and lock her in. To my surprise, her eyes don’t open and her clothes don’t change. I risk going in and open her eyes. They’re pure black, but she’s not doing anything.   
I realise that Doctor Cameron must be smarter than I thought. She sedated her so that she can’t do anything. 

Emma  
I seem to be coming around led in bed a lot lately. This time, I’m in the cage in Regina’s vault. Someone must have talked to Gold, since he still hasn’t summoned me. I spend a moment wondering why he cares about my health and come to the terrifying conclusion that, if I’m dead, he won’t have a puppet.   
Regina soon realises I’m awake and back to normal, and quickly comes in and transports us back to the hospital.   
Doctor Cameron is sat in the corner, clearly waiting for our return. She smiles when she sees that I’m no more injured than I was when we left.   
“I hoped it would work,” She says, connecting me back to all of the machines around me.   
“What did you do?” I ask. I was quite surprised when I came to and nothing had changed. I didn’t get my memories back as quickly either, but I just assumed they were taking a little longer.   
“I sedated you just before you left. Your friend will know more about the rest than I do.”


	16. Chapter 16

Regina  
Once Doctor Cameron leaves, Emma beckons to me, so I sit down on the edge of the bed and look at her expectantly. She looks a mess. Her face is tear-stained and her make-up has smudged everywhere; she’s worn the same hospital gown since she was admitted, because she won’t let anyone help her get changed and won’t admit she can’t do it herself; and her hair probably hasn’t been brushed since then either. It looks like it did when I met her in the alternate universe, except worse.   
“We have to give the bark to Gold and get my dagger back,” she states, dragging me from my thoughts. She still isn’t really ready but, if I tell her that, she’ll just ignore me.   
“I’ll go and grab your parents and then we can discuss it, OK?” At some point, we also need to tell her about Hook’s plan, but I think we should focus on one thing at a time and I want to tell the Charmings before they let something slip.   
I magic myself to the Charmings’, fill them in quickly and take them back to the hospital, reminding them again not to tell her about Hook’s plan yet.  
“Mum, Dad. How are you?” I roll my eyes at the fact that she asks after her parents when she’s the one in the hospital bed with multiple injuries.   
“We’re fine. We need to work out a plan, probably with your doctor, to minimise the damage to you.” She sighs and calls Doctor Cameron using the phone next to her bed.   
Minutes later, she comes in, smiling at me when she recognises me.   
“What’s wrong?”   
“Sorry, nothing. We need your input on a plan.” I explain the whole thing to her as quickly as I can, trying not to convolute it too much.   
“That’s complicated.” I can almost her the cogs in her brain turning. “I can get you a wheelchair for this afternoon. As long as you’re back by this evening it should be fine.” Emma smiles, appearing happy to be part of this. “But,” Doctor Cameron continues, crushing Emma’s hope slightly, “you can’t be part of the plan to get your dagger back. You can just give him whatever it was and then come back.” 

Emma  
At Doctor Cameron’s last statement, I go to protest but she shakes her head, telling me it’ll be useless. I lay back on my bed. I have to agree. The longer Gold has my dagger, the more likely he is to use it again.   
“OK. Fine. We go now.” Doctor Cameron calls for an automatic wheelchair, and it turns up a couple of minutes later. She carefully helps me into it and shows me how to use it before waving us goodbye.   
“Tell whoever’s on the desk to page me when you get back. Don’t try and get into your bed until I’m here to help you.” All of these rules are going to defeat the object of going in a minute, but I don’t argue.   
We head straight to Gold’s shop. I think Mum, Dad, and Regina have a plan, but they’ve left me out of it. I go in the front and find him stood behind the desk. He laughs when he sees me.   
“Well, what happened to you, Dearie?” I want to punch him in the face for laughing at me, but Doctor Cameron’s rules stick in my head. DO what I cam to do and get out.   
“Doesn’t matter. I got what you wanted.” I hand him the sheet of bark off the willow tree, but he seems uninterested.   
“I asked you a question, Dearie. We wouldn’t want to force the answer out of you, would we?” Damn. I’m going to have to answer. Otherwise he’ll go for the dagger, and ruin our plan.   
“My Dark side crashed our car on the way to Virginia, reopening my head wound and breaking my arm. Then she set fire to Pocahontas’ village and some of her angry friends followed us back here and attacked. I re-broke my arm and got shot in the side. Somehow the arrow wasn’t poisoned.” I finish and the mantra of rules almost loses the battle against my anger when I notice the smirk is still on his face.   
“What’s so funny?” I ask, determined to work out why his facial expression still hasn’t changed. I know he doesn’t care what happens to me as long as he gets what he wants, but I didn’t think he’d think it was hilarious.   
“I wanted to cause you pain for stealing my power. It worked. Much more spectacularly than I could have predicted, but that’s not a bad thing, Dearie.” I turn and manipulate the chair our of the shop before I kill my arm again mutilating Gold.   
I head back to the hospital and tell the guy on the front desk to page Doctor Cameron like she told me.   
She comes hurrying along the corridor and I reach for the button to wheel myself back to my room, but she takes over and pushes manually. 

Regina  
We creep quietly into the back of Gold’s shop. Snow and David head for the dagger and I keep watch, keeping a shield around us that stops Gold from recognising we’re here. Now that Gold doesn’t have magic, he can’t protect the dagger, so I used a locator spell to find exactly where he keeps it. I’m surprised it’s not in his jacket, or at least in his eyeline.   
They grab it and we run back to the hospital, where Emma is already back in her bed. Her doctor is nowhere to be seen.   
“Have you got it?” She asks. The hope in her eyes reminds me of her mother. I hold up the dagger, and I can almost imagine a child is sitting in front of me rather than a young woman. She sounds like she got her pony for Christmas. Then she sighs with relief.   
“Thank you so much. Now can I see Killian?” Of course she’s still worried about him. He must have a maximum of about five days left.   
I exchange a look with Snow and Charming, trying to have a conversation without speaking. It fails. I walk out the door and they follow me.   
“Should we tell her?” I ask them. Killian can’t, since he went into a chemically-induced coma a couple of days ago. It’s their decision. Snow nods, biting her lip.   
“I’ll do it,” she says, heading back towards Emma.   
They emerge from the room ten minutes later, Emma back in a normal wheelchair with Snow pushing her.   
“I can’t do it. He wouldn’t want to be the Dark One, even for just a few seconds.” Judging by the look on Snow’s face, that’s what’s taken so long to even get her out of the room.   
“Do it. He’s going to die anyway.” Maybe I sound insensitive, but it is true. OK, maybe I was too harsh. She puts her hand over her mouth and smothers a sob, earning me a glare from Snow and David. 

Emma  
Mum wheels me into Killian’s room up to the bed and I grab his limp hand. I pull it up to my face, whispering his name into his hand.   
“I’ll do it.” Seeing him makes me realise the reality of the situation; Regina was right. He’s going to die anyway and, according to Mum, it was his idea before he went into the coma. “How much pain will he be in if we wake him up before I do it?” The nurse checks one of the bags hung up next to him before replying.   
“Not much. He’s loaded up with morphine.” I nod.   
“Okay. Do it.” They fiddle with some of the machines around us and Killian’s eyes blink open. He squeezes my hand.   
“Have you agreed?” Why does everyone think I won’t agree to his crazy plan? It couldn’t be because it’s crazy.   
“Yeah.” He sighs with relief.   
“Good. Let’s get it over with.” Regina hands me the dagger and I stare at it dumbly.   
“Right now?” If I do it now, I don’t even get to have a proper, private goodbye.   
“If you wait any longer, the effects of the poison will just get worse. There’s also more chance you’ll go dark again.” He winces and grabs his stomach so the nurse rushes forward, but he shoos her away with an “I’m fine.” 

Regina  
Emma is obviously hesitating, and I don’t blame her. She’s talking about murdering her boyfriend and, so far, she seems very nonchalant about it. Her walls are up higher than ever.   
“Shouldn’t we do this somewhere that isn’t in a hospital?” I suggest, thinking about the commotion we could create.   
“What about the forest?” Hook asks, sitting up in his bed. He coughs aggressively, covering his mouth with his arm.   
“No. That’s too far away. Just sound-proof the room. You can do that, right?” Emma replies, pulling herself closer to him. I roll my eyes.   
“What, so that everyone has to stand at the door instead of just listening through the walls? You need your privacy. The forest is the best place for that.” She groans and lets go of Hook, turning completely to face me.   
“You have an answer for everything. Fine. Can you get us there? My magic isn’t very strong at the moment.” I nod and wave my arm, and we disappear from the hospital, taking the bed, machines and everything else with us.


	17. Chapter 17

Emma  
We appear in a clearing near the edge of the forest, far enough away from anyone who might want to be nosy. I’m still in my wheelchair, but I get out, ignoring Mum and Dad, who ask me to get back in. Killian seems to realise what I’m doing and shuffles over in his bed, making room. I stand up and walk over to the bed, careful not to tear my stitches. Laying down next to him, I hand him the dagger.   
“Regina, how does this work?” I check. She filled me in just after they told us the plan, but I was drugged up with morphine and didn’t really register what she was saying.   
“He has to hold the dagger up next to your heart and then you have to…” She trails off. We all know what happens at the end. Catching me off guard, she takes my heart out of my chest and hands it to Killian, who takes it in his other hand. He accidentally squeezes it, and I collapse onto the bed, clutching my chest with the arm that is already secured next to my heart.   
“Stop squeezing it,” Regina says, rushing to the side of the bed and helping me sit back up. I nod in Killian’s direction and he holds up the dagger and my heart. Darkness swirls in the centre of the heart, flowing around the dagger. I imagine this is what it looked like when it flowed into me after the Apprentice released it from Gold.   
Killian’s hand starts shaking from the darkness in the dagger. There’s none left in my heart anymore, so Regina shoves it back into my chest. He hands me the dagger and my eyes well up.   
“I can’t do this,” I sob, the tears releasing and pouring down my face.   
“We both know there’s no other way, love. I’m dying anyway. I may as well save you while I do.”   
“It should be me. I’ve done terrible things and was weak. You should get your happy ending.” The tears in his eyes suddenly cascade down his face and my eyes widen. I’ve never seen him cry before.   
I take the dagger from him, the shaking transferring from his hand to mine. I don’t know how much is from crying and how much is from the dagger.   
“I love you,” I whisper, kissing him while ignoring my injuries. He pulls away sadly and looks at me, encouraging me to do it. I pull the dagger back and hesitate, no longer able to see through the tears.   
“It’s okay,” He says, smiling. His smile quickly turns to a grimace from the pain of the poison, and I run the dagger through his middle before I back out completely. He cries out in pain and collapses back onto the bed, which is slowly turning red with his blood. I hug him, my hand still on the dagger, until he falls into me.   
I pull the dagger back and he moans in pain once more, but the knife disintegrates in my hand, turning first to dust, then disappearing. My hair cascades over my face, sticking to the tears that are still pouring. I can feel the eyes of my parents and Regina on me, but only focus on Killian. 

Regina  
I watch as they lay Hook on a gurney, covering his body with a clean sheet. Emma has hold of his hand, and the tears that started when we came here show no sign of stopping. He looks so peaceful as they drape the end of the sheet over his head, but he did not die peacefully. I don’t think that memory will ever get less vivid. Snow and David are stood behind Emma, and the volume of her sobs increases as they hold her back, stopping her from following the gurney as the paramedics drag it away. She pulls at their grip as her hand falls out of his.   
When her grip finally releases, Snow turns her around into their grasp and comforts her. They hug together, apparently forgetting about Emma’s stitches, but I get the feeling she won’t care if she tears them. I watch from a distance, not wanting to interrupt their moment.   
I transport us all back to the hospital, straight to Emma’s room. She doesn’t need everyone to know what just happened.   
As soon as we get back, I alert her doctor so that she can be hooked back up to all the machines. Then I leave her in peace to deal with her grief. 

Emma  
Doctor Cameron hooks me back up to all of my machines without saying a word. I don’t think I’d notice or care if she did anyway. I don’t know what to do. I can’t sleep because I know the memory will haunt my dreams, and I can’t do much else led in a hospital bed attached to trillions of machines.   
Doctor Cameron goes to leave when she’s done but I call her back.   
“Are you busy right now?” I ask. If she is, I don’t want to stop her from saving somebody else’s life. She shakes her head as an answer, so I carry on. “Will you stay?” Before she thinks I’ve gone soft, I add “Just as company.” She smiles and comes to sit by the side of the bed.   
“Of course. Do you wanna talk?” I shake my head. Why would I want to talk? I just murdered my boyfriend. I’m glad Regina left me in peace, because she would just get whatever she wanted to hear out of me eventually. I asked Doctor Cameron to stay because I didn’t think she would. I wish there was a shorter name I could call her. I ask her as much. “You can call me Allison. You’ve known me longer than most of my patients do.”   
“Thanks.” Although she’s only answered my question, calling my doctor by her first name doesn’t really feel right either. I’ll try though. Otherwise she’ll think I’ve suddenly gone off her or something.   
We sit in silence and, eventually, she pulls some kind of medical journal out of her lab coat and reads it, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. I don’t have the pleasure of a book or anything to take away the pain. My mind replays my memories of Killian, from when we met in the Enchanted Forest and I left him up the beanstalk, to fighting the darkness and the battle that killed him.   
I grab the glass of water from my bedside table, dehydrated from the waterfall of tears that still hasn’t stopped. Why did I do it? I could’ve healed him with my magic. If I wasn’t strong enough, Regina could have helped. I should have suggested other options. He wouldn’t be dead if I could’ve just thought of something else. I want to lie on my side and curl up, but I can predict Allison’s reaction pretty well. She’ll worry about my stitches, and my arm is tied up anyway.   
She looks over at me periodically, when she thinks I’m not looking or won’t notice. Her eyes have welled up, sparking my curiosity, but I don’t ask. She might just be sad for me. She seems like that kind of person. 

Regina  
I go back home and find Robin and Henry watching a movie in the living room. I let myself cry in the car, dropping my guard, but I’ve stopped by the time I walk in the door.   
“You’re back!” Robin cries, leaving Henry to the movie and hugging me. I smile sadly.   
“Yep,” I say. I don’t want to give away that terrible things have happened, but I’m not hiding it either.   
“What’s up?” He notices straight away that something’s up. I look pointedly in Henry’s direction, wanting to let Emma tell him if she wants to. He appears to understand, as he shuts the door gently before turning back to me. I take a deep breath and explain everything, starting from when they left the apartment and finishing with about ten minutes ago. Although he was there when we came back from Virginia, he wasn’t filled in before the battle.   
His face goes through more expressions in the five minutes my explanation takes than mine did in my entire reign as Queen in the Enchanted Forest.   
“How is she? How are you?” He emphasises the second question more. It warms me to know that he’s worried about me.   
“She’s grieving at the hospital. She asked her doctor to stay, but they haven’t really spoken. I think she finds the company comforting. I’m okay, I think. It just reminded me of Daniel and everything that happened in the Enchanted Forest.” He steps forward and hugs me.   
“You’ve put that behind you. Everyone’s forgiven you. And Daniel will always hold a special place in your heart, and the pain will resurface from time to time, and that’s okay.” I lean my head on his shoulder.   
“Thank you, Robin. I should take Henry to see Emma though.” I open the door, surprised to find him still engrossed in the movie. I half expected him to have heard the whole conversation from the other side of the door.   
“Do you want to go and visit your Mum?” 

Emma  
I don’t know how long passes. It could be minutes or it could be days. Allison—I’m still not used to calling her that—comes and goes, apparently neglecting her duties in the ER to keep me company.   
The door opens and Henry comes in, lifting my spirits slightly. I dry my eyes quickly and sit up, trying to look normal. Judging from his attitude, I don’t think anyone’s told him yet.   
“Hi, Mum. How are you?” I smile and he dumps his rucksack by the door, before coming and sitting on the bed.   
“I’m alright. Did you hear what happened?” I do my best to keep my walls up. I don’t want to break down in front of him, at least not until I’ve explained anything. He shakes his head, so I take his hand in mine and explain.   
“After the battle, Regina brought me here and they treated me. Then I found out that she brought Killian as well because he was in more pain than he should be for a scratch. Turns out he was poisoned. There were bits of mushroom on the end of their arrows. He was the only one who got hit. He took the darkness from me and then I had to stab him with the dagger to get rid of it forever.” Although my explanation is only short, it restarts my tears. I notice Henry seems to be in total shock. He has no reaction.  
Allison is still sat in the corner, probably feeling really awkward form sitting in on our conversation.   
“I need to check your stitches and arm quickly,” she says, leaving her book and coming over. Henry gets off the bed. She runs her tests quickly and retreats back to her corner. “Thanks.”


	18. Chapter 18

Regina  
Henry comes out of Emma’s room and I can tell she told him. His face is pale white, and his eyes are void of emotion. He’s got his walls up. I put my arm round him and we walk to the car, where Robin is waiting in the driver’s seat.   
“I thought I was driving,” I complain. I need the distraction of concentrating on something.   
“I am. You drove.” Of course. Henry gets in the back and I go to get in the passenger seat, but Snow and David turn up.   
“How is she?” As soon as she gets out of the truck, Snow hurries over.   
“Still grieving. She hasn’t eaten anything, only drunk water. Her doctor is still keeping her company.” Snow sighs.   
“Do you think she’s up for us visiting?” I gesture to Henry as I reply.   
“He’s just been in and she’s explained what happened. I didn’t see Doctor Cameron leave, so I guess she’s still there.” She nods and grabs David, appearing to fill him in on what I said before they disappear through the main doors.   
I get back into the passenger seat, uninterrupted this time, and we head home. 

Emma  
Allison’s pager cuts through the silence of the room, shocking me out of my thoughts. I’ve been drowning in them since Henry left. As she leaves, Mum and Dad come in.   
“How are you doing?” Mum asks, putting her bag down by the side of the bed. Dad stays by the door, looking awkward.   
“I’m alright. Henry visited,” I purposely ignore the question.   
“We know. We bumped into Regina, Robin and Henry on the way in. They were just leaving. How are you doing physically, then?” Now that one, I can answer.   
“I think my arm’s getting better, and my side doesn’t feel any worse. You’ll have to ask Allison—Doctor Cameron—for the details.” Now that I’m used to calling her Allison, I forget that no one else in my family knows her name. As I finish speaking, Allison comes back in.   
“Speak of the devil, sure to appear,” I quip, trying to keep the mood relatively happy. She looks from me to Mum.   
“You were talking about me?” I nod.   
“Mum asked how I was physically and I said you’d know that details.” She smiles.   
“Yes. Well, your arm is nearly to the point where we can take your cast off, although I’m wondering if it would pay to leave it on a little longer based on your history of danger. Your head will scar, but that’s nearly healed. Your side is the worst. The stitches will come off in a week, but you’ll have to rest for another two after that.” My eyes widen at the fact that I still have three weeks of doing nothing. Before I can say anything, however, Allison carries on. “How are you coping?” I should have guessed that was coming.  
“Fine,” I say. I don’t want to sound harsh or curt but how do they think I am? I just murdered my boyfriend to save myself. She raises her eyebrows.   
“You can be honest with me, you know. I’m bound by doctor-patient confidentiality. I can’t tell anyone without risk of losing my license.” I sigh and pull down my mental walls, allowing her to see how I’m really feeling. As soon as I do, tears start leaking from my eyes, however much I try to stop them. 

Regina  
I sit curled up on the sofa with Robin and Henry, hoping that Emma is okay. We’re watching Snow White and laughing at how inaccurate it is. Robin’s arm around my shoulder is a comfort: steadying me and pushing the weight that had been steadily growing in my shoulders away, if only for one, blissful moment. My thoughts drift back to Emma, and the grief I know all too well she must be feeling.   
“I’m gonna call Snow, see how Emma’s doing,” I say, untangling myself from Robin and Henry. I grab my phone off the table and dial Snow’s number.   
“How’s Emma doing?” I ask as soon as I hear the sound of her picking up.   
“Okay, I think. Doctor Cameron’s in with her at the moment. I think she was trying to get her to open up.” She pauses, then carries on. “You’ve been through a similar sort of thing. Can you talk to her?” I nod, then remember that she can’t see me.   
“I’ll try. I’ll come by tomorrow morning.”   
“Thanks, Regina.” I hang up the phone and go back into the living room. I perch on the end of the sofa for the last ten minutes, not wanting to interrupt Robin and Henry.   
When the movie finishes, they finish insulting me and Henry asks me about Emma.   
“How’s my other Mum?” I smile.   
“Snow says she’s doing alright. She wants me to talk to Emma tomorrow.”

Emma  
Allison wraps her arm round me, avoiding all of the wires and medical stuff attached to me. I hate everything about the hospital: the needles; the stitches; the cast; the smells; and the food is disgusting.   
My face is buried in her shoulder, my tears still drenching her lab coat and probably the clothes underneath it. Dropping my walls around anyone but Killian feels alien, but I do kind of like it.   
Eventually, she has to leave, but she promises to come back tomorrow. I try to avoid sleeping, not wanting to experience another memory again. However, my body gets the better of me after a while, and I fall asleep.   
The next morning, I’m woken by Regina poking her head through the door. She goes to turn away, thinking I’m still asleep, so I speak up.   
“Regina,” I call. Her head snaps back towards me and she smiles.   
“How are you?” She asks, slipping into the chair next to the bed. I roll my eyes. It seems no one can have a conversation with me without asking how I am. Regina of all people should know.   
“Getting there.” There’s no point in lying to her: she’ll see right through me. A reminiscent look comes over her and she stares into space for a while. I assume she’s thinking about Daniel.   
I remember what Allison said about my progress and mention that as well.  
“My doctor said that my cast can come off soon and my stitches will be taken out in six days.” She shakes her head, pulling herself out of her thoughts and nods to show she heard me.   
“That’s good, then. Henry will be pleased. I think he’s getting a bit bored of my house by now.” 

Regina  
After talking to Emma about losing someone, our conversation switches to the next step for the town. Well, I say our conversation, but it mainly consists of Emma staring into space while pretending to listen to my babble.   
The fact that she doesn’t even notice me leave because she’s so lost in thought shows the effect that Hook’s death has had on her, much more than any conversation could.   
“Bye, Emma,” I say from the door, jerking her out of her thoughts. She looks up.   
“Sorry. Bye, Regina.” I walk out, smiling at her doctor as I leave. Snow is waiting by my car, ever the over-protective mother, and she asks me how Emma is.   
“I think she’s getting there slowly. She said that her stitches can come out in a week.” Snow smiles.   
“That’s good. Thank you for talking to her, Regina.” I nod my head in acknowledgement.   
“No problem.”

Emma  
A nurse comes to take my stitches in six days, exactly as Allison said. My cast come off the same day. Apparently, she didn’t manage to convince them to leave it on any longer.   
That afternoon, Allison comes in, a bigger smile than usual plastered on her face.   
“What’s the good news?” I ask, wondering if Killian might somehow be back.   
“You’re being discharged. You just need more rest now, which you can get at home.” Oh. That’s good, I guess. Maybe I can go back to work, give myself something to take my mind off Killian.   
As if reading my mind, she continues. “You won’t be able to go back to work for a couple of weeks. Rest means rest. Sorry.” I shake my head.   
“It’s fine. I get it.” I don’t really, but I want to comfort her. She should know about needing something to take my mind off everything but she wasn’t injured so she probably did have something.   
She helps me into a wheelchair—which I really don’t need but she insists on—and pushes me into the lobby, where my parents are waiting with Henry and Regina. Killian’s absence stands out in my mind, but I don’t really feel like talking.   
I smile at Allison as Mum takes the chair from her.   
“Thank you for helping me. Keep in touch.” I hand her a piece of paper that I wrote my number on earlier. She smiles back. This one looks more sincere than others I’ve seen her wear.   
“Thank you for your company. Keep well.” She turns and walks down the corridor, her lab coat swirling around her.


	19. Chapter 19

Emma  
I lay on the sofa in my new home, the emptiness that should have been filled by Killian a constant reminder of what I did. I have one of his rings in my hand and I twist it round and round.   
Suddenly, I hear whispers coming from every direction, surrounding me. I sit up and look around. Where are they coming from? I grab my phone from the kitchen and text Gold.   
‘Meet me at your shop, now.’ I put my phone in my pocket and make my way to Gold’s. The sign says closed but I manage to get in, and I stand at the counter to wait for him.   
A few minutes later, the bell on the door jingles and he starts speaking.   
“Now you see, this isn’t the library or Granny’s or some bus station, Miss Swan. This is my shop.” I look out of the corner of my eye as his footsteps near, but I don’t turn around. I can still hear the echoes of the whispers in my head. “Unless the sign says ‘open’, you’re not invited.” He stands behind the counter now and I look up at him.   
“I think I was invited. I hear whispering. It’s the dagger. It’s calling to me.”   
“You’re upset, imagining things,” He says, too quickly. The fact that he brushes me off annoys me, and I carry on.   
“No, I’m not,” I say insistently. “It’s here, isn’t it? You have it, don’t you?” He hesitates before looking down at the counter.   
“Yes, I do.” He pulls out the dagger wrapped in fabric and takes it out to put it on the countertop. I gasp in shock when I see his fairy tale name, Rumpelstiltskin, written on it in silver cursive writing.   
“You are the Dark One… again.” He chuckles, annoying me even more. I have to mentally restrain myself to keep from punching him in the face.   
“Yes. Had hoped to keep that secret. Wasn’t expecting you to hear it. But then, most ex-Dark Ones and dead.” My eyes widen further.   
“How is this possible?” I finally make eye contact with him.   
“When you came to me, asking for the sword, I seen an opportunity. A chance I had never imagined would present itself again. As fate would have it, a small vial of magic was close at hand. One sprinkle... and I knew I could get it all back. I turned the sword into a conduit. So that while Hook thought he was destroying the darkness, he was actually... moving it. Channelling it someplace safe.” I grit my teeth and glare at him.   
“Into you.”   
“He had no idea.” That’s not the point, though. He thought he died for a cause but, really, he just helped his enemy. “And now, things are as they should be.”   
“Hook sacrificed himself and you took that from him.” My voice rises and I let myself try and hurt him. He raises his hand, freezing me in place.   
“Do you honestly think you can hurt me? I now have the combined power of every Dark One who ever lived… including you.” I lower my hand slowly.   
“You found a loophole, betrayed us all again.” My eyes well up. We keep thinking he can change, but he never does.   
“It’s what I do. It’s the man I am.” I stare at him for a while, an idea forming in my mind.   
“Well then, Dark One, now that you have your power back, you’re going to do something for me.”   
“And why would I do anything for you?”   
“Because I still have magic. And I’m willing to bet I can get to Belle and tell her everything before you can kill me.”   
“Don’t test me.”   
“Don’t test me.” I counter, anger softening my voice this time. “You really want to take that chance? That she will, once again, know what kind of man you really are?” He looks down at the dagger, contemplating what I’ve said.   
“What do you want, Miss Swan?”

Regina  
“You’re going to hell?” Snow exclaims, her eyebrows raised as she looks at Emma. We are all stood in the kitchen of the Charmings’ loft: Robin, Henry, Emma, Snow, David and me.   
“The underworld.” Emma corrects, acting very calmly for someone who’s just suggested what she has.   
“That’s quite a distinction.” David says, joining in the conversation.   
“I’m getting him back. This isn’t fair to Killian.” I look at David and Snow, but their faces are unreadable. “Gold tricked him. Everything he gave up was based on a lie.” Emma clearly feels that this is the right thing to do, but I’m not so sure.   
“Emma, you know how this works. It’s a one-for-one trade. To get him back, someone else will have to die.” Hearing David say this, I think I know what Emma will say to it. However, before she can, Snow finishes David’s thought.   
“And you just got back from being the Dark One. You can’t give in to darkness again.”   
”I won’t. I’m giving in to love. I’m doing this right. I learned my lesson. I’m taking a page out of your book. You two share a heart. So will we.” I knew she would suggest that.   
“It could work,” I say, looking at Snow and David’s faces. They’re not sure, but want to stand by their daughter.   
“It will work.” Emma changes my sentence, the added certainty giving her confidence. Robin asks a question before Snow and David can challenge her further.  
“Uh, forgive me if I’m missing the obvious, but how does one get to the underworld?”   
We stand by the lake with Rumple, the mist glimmering off the water’s surface.   
“Do it,” Emma orders Rumple. He raises his dagger and cuts his palm.   
“Are you sure about this?” He asks, carefully keeping the blood from dripping.   
“Do it,” Emma repeats, her voice soft. I’m not sure if she’s angry or scared, but it comes off as scary.   
Rumple tilts his hand, allowing a drop of blood to mix with the water of the lake. It ripples and nothing happens, until a cloud of mist approaches from the far side. Out of it appears a small boat with a shadowy figure on it, illuminated by the lamp that hangs off the front. I step towards Henry and place my hand on his shoulder, ready to protect him. Emma turns to face her parents, who give her a reassuring nod. She walks past Rumple towards the water’s edge and steps into the lake, followed by her parents, myself, Henry and Robin. As we near the boat, I hear Emma speak. Even though she’s facing away from me. I can hear the determination in her.   
“Hook, I will find you. I will always find you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read, commented and left Kudos on this story. I hope you enjoyed it :). 
> 
> oliviacat3


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